Little Sister
by JadeLiv
Summary: All alone after escaping from her kidnappers when she was only five, a little girl is taken into the Hamato family as one of their own. There, she learns the art of ninja with her four mutant brothers. But her past is catching up to her and her gift may be the key to keeping her new family alive. (A mix of adventures from the '03 series, 1990 and '07 movies.)
1. A New Life

**So this is my first TMNT fic... I've always like the idea of the turtles having a younger sibling of the human race. **

**This fic will be within the 2007 TMNT CGI film. I really liked their appearances and voices the most in that movie. BUT I will be mixing all the TMNT movies and the 03' and 12' tv shows together somehow. So all the stories and scenarios will be thrown into one big story.**

**And I do really want it to be a **_**BIG **_**story. **

**So... Please enjoy. **

**Chapter 1: A New Life**

* * *

I was just a tiny tot at the early age of four years when I was kidnapped from my home by a group of men in black a little over a year ago. I was held hostage for exactly three hundred and ninety two days.

I was kept in a cage; a jail cell. Cramped, dark and equipped with a small, moldy army cot and a dirty toilet with a small, dim bulb that hung from the ceiling; giving me a scarce amount of light. It became my new room and my serenity from the rest of the facility.

I was escorted daily to a room that looked similar to a surgeon room that I liked to call 'The White Room'. I was then strapped to a table by my wrists and ankles with two bright lights shining in my face. The same three men in blue doctor scrubs worked on me without the use of anesthetics; Injecting brightly colored liquids into my bloodstream, using different sized scalpels to cut my flesh open, etc. One of the men in particular; an African American man with glasses; often told me how special I was. For whatever reason, he wouldn't tell me why or how I was 'special', but after the seemingly never ending hours in that room, I was escorted to another room that could have been mistaken for a garage (which is what I just called it) where the African man told me I would be tested on my 'pain tolerance and healing rate'. Knives of different shapes and sizes carved neat lines underneath my flesh. Lighters made my skin to sizzle and electricity soared through my veins.

The repetitive long white scars that covered my skin made my body turn into a hideous canvas. Pink spots bubbled on my skin, temporarily marking previously burned flesh from the fire of the lighters.

Now ask yourself, who is sick enough to torture a four year old?

The rest of my memory was muddied. I couldn't remember much of anything before my kidnapping- where I came from or who my parents were. Hell, I hardly remembered anything _during _my captivity other than the tortuous sessions. My trauma in the white room and the garage blanked out everything else.

But sometimes, I swear I remembered someone else. Someone who shared a cell close to mine.

My escape was easier then I would like to admit. It was shower day for me. _And yes they let me have showers. How kind right? _I wouldn't have even noticed the vent in the back corner if the room if I hadn't seen the rat that scuttered up the side of shower room to the vent and squeezed through the bars.

I dried myself off and changed into the set of shorts and an oversized t shirt that was given to me before too tiring over to the vent, prying the cover off. I was small enough to crawl all the way through.. And I mean _all _the way through. It was a straight shot to the outside.

If that's not pure luck, then I don't know what is.

I stood outside a long building on the outskirts of New York. A warehouse of some sort.

It looked abandoned from the outside. I knew that if I got discovered outside of the shower room, I would be... Severely punished. So getting caught wasn't an option for me. I sprinted as fast I could toward the city- my first instinct was to hide. I mean, I didn't really know where to go anyway. I was only five years old, I didn't know where the police station was. Or to even go to it for emergencies. Hell, I don't think I even knew what 911 was.

Upon entering the city, I saw a manhole cover that was slightly off the hole to the sewer. I managed to push it off enough for me to drop inside. I figured the sewer wouldn't be the first place my captors would come looking for me.

For a five year old, I was pretty intelligent. I would say. Except for not knowing what 911 was...

It was dark and cold and it stunk like hell. The eerie tunnel seemed safe though. I started walking for what seemed like hours until a wave of exhaustion swept over me, finally forcing me to sink against the wall.

I immediately bursted into tears, feeling my stomach contract into a tight ball. _Now what? _

Where did I go from there? I didn't know where to find food, I didn't know where to go and I didn't know who to go to. At the moment, I trusted no one. I didn't know who worked with my kidnappers- for all I knew, everyone was against me.

I felt completely isolated from the real world. I felt like there was no hope for me. I was a just a sad, powerless little girl.

* * *

I sat against that wall for hours, long after the tears had finally dried up before I heard someone clear their throat, getting my attention. My head snapped in the direction of the sudden noise.

That came from a rat. A very large rat who stood at least six feet away from me wearing red robes and using a walking stick. I wobbled to my feet slowly, still feeling weak.

He asked me what my name was.

I couldn't remember. I had always just been called 'The Girl'. I simply shrugged at the rat and told him I didn't know.

The rat scrunched his brows together, indifferently tilting his head to the side slightly. "Then if you don't know who are, how did you come to be here?"

His voice relaxed me. It was soothing and kind. A voice that sounded trustworthy. His appearance didn't frighten me either; the fact that he _wasn't _human kept me from running in fear that he worked with my kidnappers.

"I escaped from some bad guys." I croaked.

I immediately cursed to myself silently. I didn't want to sound helpless. I didn't want pity.

_Well ok... Maybe a little._

His big brown eyes scanned the exposed skin my shorts and t shirt didn't cover. He didn't say anything but the worry that flashed in his eyes told me that he noted the scars that covered my flesh. I avoided his eyes during the long moment of silence, feeling uncomfortable underneath his stare.

"And you are alone?"

_Alone._

It didn't truly strike me until he said it. He was right. I don't remember my family and my kidnappers were my only source of company. No matter how shitty they were to me.

I nodded slowly.

The rat approached me after several hesitant moments and put his paw over his chest. "My name is Hamato Splinter. If you would like, you may come to my home and live me and my sons."

I stared at his paw. I wasn't expecting an invitation to start a new life; especially not by a five foot tall rat. But what choice did I really have? I didn't have anywhere else to go. My heart swelled up a tiny bit as I broke into a small, timid smile.

"Thanks."

Hamato Splinter nodded and gestured for me to follow him down the tunnel.

"How old are you?" He asked me after a couple minutes of silence.

I held up my fingers, holding them up in front of me. "I'm five now."

The rat gave me an approving nod. "You are only a year younger then my sons."

"How many sons do you have?"

"Four."

My curiosity started getting the better of me. I had bite my tounge from bursting out into about a billion questions.

Hamato Splinter stopped suddenly after a few moments. I noticed that he had been giving me confused, skeptical glances while we had been walking through the tunnel.

"How are you not afraid of me if you mind me asking?"

Confused, I tilted my head to the side. "Why would I be?"

Hamato Splinter almost looked taken back from my comment. He raised a brow. "Because I am different from you."

I blinked and thought about my next choice of words carefully. Yes, he looked different; but what difference did that make?

"Well.. you just look different. That doesn't mean you are different. That's not a very good reason to be afraid, is it?"

Hamato Splinter seemed to consider that thoughtfully before breaking out a small smile. "No, it's not." He agreed.

We walked in silence for what seemed to be forever; taking the most random turns down long stretches of tunnel that were almost identical to the last. Bags of trash and random junk contaminated the sewer waters. My legs started getting wobbly. I felt my eyes started to droop.

"Just a few moments longer. We are here." Hamato Splinter said warmly, noticing my exhaustion.

We turned into a dead end. I gave him a confused sideways glance as if to say "_What the hell?"_

But as we approached the back wall, I noticed a hole that had been broken into the the corner. Unless you walked to back wall, you would have never seen the hole. Very hidden. Very safe. Clever.

Hamato Splinter led me through the hole and we entered a rather large room. Yellow lights dimmed the room, giving it a settling glow. Despite being in the sewer, it was actually pretty cozy looking. There was a couch with the sound of a TV coming from the otherside. I could hear laughter following the dialogue of some cartoon that was showing.

Hamato Splinter stopped and tapped his walking stick on the ground. Four green creatures immediately jumped over the backside of the couch. "Father!" They all cheered happily.

Their loud shouts and sudden movement frightened me. The commotion of them sprinting over forced me to hide behind Hamato Splinter. I kept an eye peeking out from behind him as I grasped his robe with my small hands. His sons looked like... Turtles. Not a rat like himself. They all stopped short when they saw me peeking out from behind Hamato Splinter robes.

"Father… wh.. who is that?" One of them asked. His eyes were wide.

Hamato Splinter looked down at me and put his paw on my head, stroking my hair lightly. "This is... Jade. She will be staying with us from now on."

I looked up at him. _Jade._ I liked it. Looking back at the four small, green turtles, I nodded with a small, timid smile.

One of the turtles put his hand on his plastron. "I'm Leonardo but you can call me Leo."

"Donatello.. Or Donnie.. Or Don. Doesn't matter."

The turtle who was the lightest shade of green waved and broke into a huge grin. "I'm Michelangelo! You can call me Mikey!"

The last turtle crossed his arms and glared at me. He didn't tell me his name himself, Mikey did it for him.

"That's Raphael. Or Raph. He's a grump."

Raph scowled at Mikey before glaring back at me. "She shouldn't be here Sensei. This is _our _home."

I bit my lip at the hostility in Raphs eyes. If he was going to act like this all the time around me, I didn't really want to stick around.

"She is going to stay here for she has nowhere else to go Raphael." Hamato Splinter said sternly.

"Im sorry if you don't like me but I'm alone and I don't want to be.." I muttered, avoiding his eyes.

There was a long moment of silence before I heard Raph huff. "Whatever. But she ain't sleepin' on my bed."

I looked up at his sudden statement. There was a small hint of understanding that flashed in his hard eyes.

Hamato Splinter gently set his paw on my back and nudged me forward. "Show her the extra bedroom where we keep the spare blankets. She can sleep in there." He began to walk over toward a doorless room, filled with flickering candles. "I would like to speak to you in the morning Jade, if that would be alright?" He looked back questioningly.

I nodded. "Sure. And... Thank you Hamato Splinter."

Hamato Splinter gave me a smile. "Please, call me Splinter." He said before entering the candle lit room.

I turned back to the turtles. All of them were giving me curious stares except for Raph, who was still glaring. His jaw was clenched. Donnie took a gulp as he took a couple small steps forward.

"Um.. What does your skin feel like?" He asked nervously. His eyes kept glancing quickly at my lightly toned flesh curiously.

I shrugged. "What do your scales feel like?"

Donnies eyes darted up diagonally; thoughtfully; but didn't answer. I lifted my arm up and held it out to him. "You can touch my skin if you want."

He hesitated for a few moments before slowly letting his three fingered hand lightly brush the back of my hand and my forearm. As he grew more comfortable and trustworthy of me, he grabbed my hand and flipped it over, examining my palm and tracing the lines of it with his fingers; glowing with excitement. Mikey eagerly stepped forward and stuck out the pointer finger of his hand and poked my arm several times- starting slowly but eventually gained speed with each poke.

"You're skins squishy." He laughed as he began poking my arm faster and faster like it was an intense video game.

Leo grabbed him by the shell and yanked him back, rolling his eyes slightly. "Come on, let's show Jade where she is gonna sleep."

They brought me to a room next to a small, setup kitchen. The bedroom was small, but doable. There was a mattress in the corner and stacks of thick comforters next to it. I sat on the mattress and smiled. _Its nice to have a soft mattress to sleep on now. _I looked back up at the turtles.

"So.. How did you get like this?" I asked them, gesturing to... them. They all sat down on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall.

Most of the story was recited by Donnie but they all explained to me who they were, how they were mutated, what had happened to Hamato Splinter and his master Yoshi, and their life in the sewers.

"So you're training to be ninjas?" I asked after the story was over.

They all nodded.

"Cool." I said, awed.

Raph stood up and stretched his arms, yawning. "I'm goin' to bed." He left without saying anything to me.

The rest of the boys got to their feet. Donnie told me good night and left the room before Leo started to follow him.

"Don't worry about Raph. He will warm up to you eventually. He's kind of hothead but you'll get used to it." Leo smiled and waved me good night.

Mikey stood up. "I've always wanted a sister." He said, beaming.

I smiled and blushed a little.

He walked out of the doorway for a moment, then poked his head in one last time. "Our room is right next to yours, just so ya know! Good night Jade!"

"Good night Mikey."

I watched him leave before hauling one of the comforters onto the bed. I curled myself in it, letting the heat radiat.

Only a few hours ago, I was in a hostage. Now I live with a family of mutants that are learning ninjutsu. Not exactly what I was expecting; but I felt safe enough. I hope Leo was right; about Raph warming up to me. I don't think he was really mad _me, _he just seemed very overprotective of his family's well being. I couldn't blame him for that; according to their background story, having contact with humans could mean their own destruction. They would be forced into some genetics lab and experimented on. Tortured. I knew all to well what that felt like.

I immediately made a promise to myself.

My new family has taken me in. They've saved my life; and in return, I would make sure that they didn't get the same treatment I had gotten. I would die for them.

_I've always wanted a sister. _I smiled, letting my heart jump as I fell asleep to that thought.

* * *

Hamato Splinter sat in lotus position on the floor in his room, meditating over tonight's events. The girl, who he had decided to name Jade was surprisingly intelligent for a four year old. Just like his sons were. They may be a year older, but they were still intellectually ahead of most five year olds.

He didn't know what made him bring Jade to the live with him and his sons. Pity? She was only a little girl. And he knew what it felt like to be alone and scared, for he had once been in the same position as she had. He had told his sons that avoiding human contact was necessary for their survival and yet, here Jade was, sleeping in his home. He would keep a close eye on her for awhile. Splinter doubted she would do anything that could get him and his sons discovered considering she was only five, but it was never bad to be safe rather than sorry.

The scars on her skin shedded some light on what had happened to her with whoever she had escaped from. The bad guys that she had mentioned. She's been through a lot. And she doesn't show that. She's a natural fighter. Splinter could sense it.

He heard his sons tell her about them and how they came to be. _Good._ He wanted to know what had happened to her as well, but he felt it would be better is she told him herself when she was ready.

If she was going to stay, she would have to start learning ninjutsu as well. That's what he was going to ask her in the morning. She was part of the family now and she would need to learn it anyway. Whoever she had escaped from; they would be looking for her. Splinter could be sure of that. He somehow knew they would be looking for her for a long time. She needed to be prepared for any confrontation with them in the future.

Splinter also sensed something else about her. She was.. Different. He couldn't quite figure out what it was though. He sensed some kind of power within her. It was faint, but it was there. All thoughts of what it could be kept him up for the next hour before he decided that it was time to get some rest.

Because tomorrow would begin Jades first day with them. Her first day with her new family.

* * *

I of course, accepted Splinters request of learning the art of ninja. I would become a _kunoichi; _That's what female ninja were called.

I watched the turtles practice their punches and kicks during their training session with Splinter. Even doing the basics, I found it fascinating. Apparently I'm not too terrible far behind them. They started their training over a year ago, but they all learned at a different pace, hence why I wasn't behind too much. Leonardo was the star student. He had perfected his basics, so while Splinter was helping the struggling Mikey, Don and Raph, Leo helped me begin my training, starting with simple punches and kicks.

He was a good teacher for a six year old. I caught sideways glimpses of Raph glaring at Leo during the training session. _Maybe Raph was just jealous that Leo had gotten the basics down before he did? _

After a while, the boys were left to either practice on their own or go have their own free time while Splinter gave me a one on one training session. Leo was the only one who stayed, working on his balance and flexibility. I easily maneuvered through the basics. In a matter of weeks, I was at the same level as the turtle brothers. Splinter found it both odd and amazing that I was able to catch up so quickly; saying I was a natural.

Months in and I finally felt like a real member of the family. All the turtles found different activities they enjoyed but for me; I enjoyed everything that they did. Raph lightened up and even enjoyed my company, he and I liked to watch boxing and any sort of action movies. His personality was still rock hard; he didn't have Mikey's goofy sense of humor but he had heart. It was just hard to tell behind his gruff voice and harsh sarcasm.

Donnie had discovered some old textbooks in the sewers when we had gone scavenging for supplies. Him and I spent hours with our heads buried in them, learning history, math and science. We both enjoyed filling our head with knowledge. Donnie was mostly interested in technology while I studied more the medical field. But all in all, he definitely was the biggest book worm. He spent hours and hours more than me with his head in the books; he was much more intelligent than the rest of the family put together. He was the one who found spare parts and set up the TV along with Mikey's video game systems.

Leo and I spent a lot of time meditating with Splinter; practicing together. Him and I had gotten extremely close as we perfected our lessons; completely mesmerized and fascinated by the art of Bushido and Chi.

Mikey's priorities revolved around an old _Modern Warfare _game that he had found in the sewers in a big trash bag along with a broken Playstation. After a little tinkering, Donnie and I had fixed it; making it good as new. After some convincing, Mikey had me hooked on the game as well.

I enjoyed my life with them. They never asked about the ugly scars that covered my arms and legs, which I appreciated. I didn't want to talk about them. They didn't even ask how I came to be in the sewers that day Splinter found me. I would tell them someday, but I didn't feel the need to now.

A few years went by; my brothers were nine while I was eight. We had just mastered the more advanced level of fighting and now ready for our next stage of training; weapons. Where Splinter got our assigned weapons, I'll never know. Leo was armed with two long, beautiful katanas. Raph with a pair of sais, Donnie with a long, wooden bo staff, and Mikey with a pair of nunchucks. I received two wakizashis; the miniature versions of the katana. They were both extremely light, with matte black blades. The handle was even carefully wrapped in a tough black fabric. Gorgeous. And extremely deadly.

The turtles were also presented with different colored masks. Leo with blue, Donnie with purple, Raph with red and Mikey with orange; which all somehow seemed to fit their diverse personalities. They were also given a pair of elbow and knee pads while I was given a pair of boxing gloves. They protected my 'delicate' knuckles along my palm and wrist although my fingers were still exposed.

Splinter only let us go up to the surface world when we needed more supplies. He would accompany us and show us where the best junkyards were, where he found our TV and even some of the appliances in the kitchen. Donnie started building his own technology from the scraps of junk we found. I helped him create our own cell phones, or as he liked to call them; The Shell Cells. They had a tracking device inside of it and a alarm that went off to all the other Shell Cells when we pressed the red button at the bottom of all the buttons. For emergencies of course.

Ten more long and enjoyable years passed; my brothers had just turned nineteen and I was eighteen. We began searching for a new place to live since our current home was getting too small for us to train in. We actually had to move the couch in the living room when we trained now. I wasn't as big as the turtles were, not by a long shot. They were already full grown while I was about a foot shorter than all of them. Not only were we growing taller, but since we were training so often, we grew extremely strong. Our body's were toned from head to toe and our muscles were extremely noticeable. Especially mine. I was also unusually fast for my age and eyesight was incredibly strong as well. I could see very well in the dark for human standards according to Donnie.

But It was hard; finding a new place to live. We kept putting it off and putting it off after months of searching.

We didn't in fact; find a new home until the day our old one was destroyed by small robotic... _Things _during one of our training sessions. They came right through the brick walls, collapsing the ceiling of our home, separating me and Splinter from my brothers.


	2. A New Home and a Rescue

**Chapter 2: A New Home & A Rescue**

* * *

_10 minutes before the ceiling collapses.._

Training today was all about stealth. Being a ninja, that was pretty important.

"Remember.. to become a true ninja, you must become one with the shadows. Darkness gives the ninja power while light reveals the ninjas presence." Master Splinter kneeled on the ground, holding his walking stick horizontally in the air with a lit candle balancing on it.

"Now, can you extinguish this flame without revealing yourselves?" He flicked his walking stick and caught the candle in mid air before closing his eyes. His shoulders made a small up and down movement as he slowed his breathing.

As simple as the task was, Master Splinter was also a rat with very keen hearing and absolutely incredible senses for his surroundings. He was always able to tell when we were outside his room, if we were ever eavesdropping or if we were simply up when it was late at night.

So ultimately, the simple task was easier said than done. While Mikey, Donnie and Raph clumsily hid in the shadows. Leo nudged me and glanced up at the ceiling; giving me a silent boost where I held myself up between the wooden beams. I extended a hand after situating myself as quickly as I could, helping Leo up to the ceiling. He kept himself across from me as we adjusted ourselves until Master Splinter was directly below us, getting a front row view of Donnie diving for the candle, only to crash into the brick wall on the other side of Splinter.

_Ouch._

"Too noisy Donatello." Splinter chuckled.

Mikey was next to dive for the candle. He ended up clumsily tripping over Splinters walking stick; sending himself flying into Donnie.

"Too clumsy Michelangelo."

Raph's tactic was unbelievably stupid. With his sais in hand; he tried sneaking up behind Splinter rather loudly. To the normal human being, stealth would be silent and unnoticeable. But when you've had years of experience in that particular field, there was a difference between _silent _and _invisible. _

Unfortunately for Raph, Splinter noticed his ametuer sneak attack and ducked to avoid the dive to the head. Raph landed on the ground with a heavy thud and a light huff. He immediately got to his feet and tried counter-attacking. Splinter easily maneuvered from a low kick to the shoulder; using his walking stick to trip Raph and sended him into the wall just as he had done with Mikey. The three frustrated turtles groaned from the impact.

"Poor choice Raphael."

My blue banded brother gave me a small nod; indicating to drop down. Without even having to discuss a plan, I knew exactly what we were doing. It was a very simple concept called _distraction. _

I purposely dropped to the ground loudly; immediately causing Splinter to whip his head around. He gave me a small disappointed frown as if to say 'you're better than that' before swinging his walking stick. I saw the wood coming years before it happened, I easily avoided the attack. While Splinter was busy with me, the lit candle in his hand was kept out of my reach; in the most perfect spot. Leo jumped down with his katana already unsheathed; slicing the candle in half like a stick of butter. It went flying into the air. Splinter turned to face Leo as he jumped back, giving me the time to quickly unsheath one my wakizashis and catch the half candle on the side of the blade. I gave a sideways glance at Leo taking a step next to me. We both smirked; pleased that our plan had worked as we blew out the fire together.

In the darkness, we heard Splinter turn the light switches back on.

"Very good Jade and Leonardo." He praised, giving us an approving nod. "Your teamwork was exceptional in both stealth and distraction."

I felt Donnie and Mikey both grab my shoulders, looking proud of me.

"Teachers pets." Raph muttered under his breath. His arms were crossed over plastron with his fists in balls and his jaw clenched in annoyance.

Leo snapped his head around, giving the red banded turtle a wolffish glare. "Ninja dropout." He retorted coldly.

Donnie, Mikey and I put our hand up to our mouths at the same time. "OOOOO..."

We snickered as the two eldest stood inches away from each other, moments away from breaking out into a giant death match.

"My sons!" Master Splinter put a paw to his forehead; irritably. "My sons. My daughter. If you are to become true ninja, you must work harder. Your path in life, will not be an easy one. The outside world will not be a friendly place for you. You four are different in ways the surface dwellers would never understand." He glanced over at me. "And you are wanted by many up top. To survive, you all must master these skills I teach you."

All of sudden, the ground started to shake. I slapped my hand against the wall to keep myself from falling down.

"What? What is that noise?" Splinter quickly got to his feet.

"Whoa...Earthquake!" Mikey croaked over the rumbling.

"In New York? Possible but not likely." Donnie answered thoughtfully.

I felt the wall behind my hand begin crumble suddenly. The weight that I put on the wall caused me to lose my balance and fall onto my back. Small metal robots the size and shape of chickens came through the new hole in the brick wall. I shrieked in surprise when one of them jumped onto my stomach and let out a roar; revealing three rows of sharp teeth on its two metal jaws. It lunged at my face with its roar still on-going until a red sai was embedded into its head. Raph raced over and removed his sai before kicking the robot off my chest. He quickly gave me one of his green hands to help me up before pulling me to the side.

"Thanks." I said, heaving in relief.

The red banded turtle nodded. "Ya ain't allowed ta go down that easy kiddo."

"What are those things?" Leo asked, taking a defensive stance.

"New York city cockroaches?" Mikey joked, but his eyes were wide with worry.

Raph spun his sais in his hands. "Whatever they are, they picked the wrong party ta crash!"

We all pulled out our weapons and began attacking the robots. They were easy enough to slice through, but there were at least a couple dozen of them flooding through the hole in the wall. Most of them were surrounding Splinter, cornering him at the end of the living room.

Leo sliced a robot before yelling to the rest of us. "We have to help Master Splinter! Come on!"

Racing to his aid, we battled the robots one by one. Splinter and I were back to back after I had pointed to the robots that were gnawing through the support pillars in our home. My brothers tried their best to stop them but they just couldn't destroy them fast enough. The ceiling began to crumble to the ground; dust flew everywhere as giant cement blocks hit the floor.

I could hear Leo yell "Look out!" Before his voice was cut off.

A sharp pain filled my forehead. I reached up and slammed my hand against it, it was warm and sticky. Blood was trickling down my forehead like a small stream where a solid piece of cement block had hit me.

That wasn't my greatest concern though.

_Where was Master Splinter? Where were my brothers? _

I heard a dull groan over by the pile of rubble that had caved in from the ceiling collapsing. It was Splinter. I scrambled to my feet and I ran over to him where he was sitting up, rubbing his head. Thick blood matted the fur on his forearm.

"Sensei, are you alright?" I asked him worriedly, eyeing the nasty cut.

He rubbed his forehead. "Yes.. I am.. Fine." He looked up at me, seeing the gash and blood running down my face. He looked so worried that If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was sick.

"My daughter, are you okay?"

"I'm fi.." I was cut off by the familiar ringing of the Shell Cell. Splinter took it out of his robe and it opened up.

"Hmm..." He mumbled as he began pushing buttons on it. "Which button do you press to answer this thing?"

I could hear Leo's voice through the phone. "_Master Splinter? Are you alright? Is Jade okay?_"

Master Splinter was still pushing buttons. "Hello? Stupid device."

I rolled my eyes, giggling at his confusion. "Sensei, you don't have to press any buttons.. You already answered the call."

I could hear my brothers trying to contain their laughter but failing miserable.

Splinter stopped pressing the buttons, looking a tiny bit embarrassed. "Uh... Right, Leonardo, whatever those mechanical menaces are, they have managed to eat through the support structure of our home. We must leave right away. Meet Jade and I at the old drainage junction."

"_We'll meet you two there." _Leo replied before ending the call.

I slowly got to my feet. The living room was completely trashed; looking like the eye of hurricane had passed through. Rubble and scattered robot parts littered the entire floor. Luckily, the entrance to our home was still intact but I wondered how my brothers were going to meet us at the drainage junction.

"How much do you want to bet they're going to go topside?" I asked Splinter.

"They have never been to the surface by themselves." He sighed.

"They're eighteen years old. Technically they're adults. They know how to take care of themselves." I told him, trying to be in the least bit encouraging.

_Okay, they may be adults but they act like fucking ten year olds I swear. _I rolled my eyes at the thought.

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think they won't find trouble?" It wasn't really a question with the slight sarcasm that dripped in his voice.

I shrugged. "They'll be fine. Leo will make sure they aren't up there for longer than they need to."

"I suppose so." Splinter mumbled, not entirely convinced.

I knew he was worried but I knew I had a point. We were old enough to go topside by ourselves now and Master Splinter needed to let his overprotective parent slide a little

We walked down the sewer in silence until we reached the drainage junction. It was silent. _They definitely went topside. _

"Ah, the old drainage junction." Master Splinter said out loud, looking around. "Now where are my sons?"

I rolled my eyes. "Can't you guess Sensei."

Master Splinter gave me a warning glance. Then the ground began to shake.

"Not again!" My voice shouted over the noise.

The middle of the floor began to crack and break apart; creating a big hole. A small army of the small robots came crawling out like roaches. Splinter and I began to back up the brick wall behind us as the robots started closing in. Weirdly enough, their optic eye were staring at Splinter. He was their main priority. Just like in our home before the ceiling caved in.

But they were absolutely no match for my father and I. As quickly as they showed up, they were broken and scattered.

"That was really weird." I mumbled to myself.

There was no celebration although for our small victory. The floor beneath us crumbled and our feet went out from us. We landed in the next tunnel system below. The impact of the hard cement floor on my body hit me like a truck. I groaned and lightly poked my forehead where some fresh blood started trickling down my face. I wiped some of it off as I slowly got to my feet.

"Jade. Are you alright?"

I nodded slowly. "Ya ya. I'm good. Just a little fresh blood that's all." I kept putting my hand up to my forehead and looking at the blood that stained my hands.

"Come look at this."

Splinters simple command surprised me momentarily. I thought perhaps he wanted me to check out of the robots or something, but when I turned around; I realized he was staring at a large hole in the wall. It was the entrance to some sort of underground home. Right inside the entrance was a landing with a long hallway to the left with a few small rooms. A staircase led down to a very large main floor which also had quite a few extra rooms attached to it.

"This is so cool..." I mumbled to myself in awe; giving Splinter an excited sideways glance. "How did we not find this place?"

"This place has much potential." He looked back toward the entrance. "I will meet your brothers at the junction, you may stay here and explore a little while longer. Donatello will help bandage you when we return."

I nodded and watched him leave before setting my hand on the railing and slowly made my way down the cement steps. At the base of the stairs, I stared at the large empty space that had a fine layer of dust and rubble. I could almost imagine a TV set up with one of Mikey's video games set up on the far side of the room and having Mikeys eyes glued to the screen.

This place was perfect. Maybe some things happen for a reason? After years of searching for a new, secure and safe place to live; this is how we find it.

After minutes of letting my eyes wander around the room, I heard Michelangelos voice from outside the entrance; complaining and assuming as he usually does.

"No offense Master Splinter but this place doesn't seem so great." I rolled my eyes. _Typical Michelangelo._

Splinters gravelly voice sounded encouraging. "Look with your heart Michelangelo and not your eyes."

"Uhhm.. Okay?"

There was a short pause. Then a loud smack.

"Ow!"

I giggled; visualizing Mikey rubbing the back of his head and glaring at one of three brothers that had hit him. I leaned against the railing at the bottom of the steps as they entered through the hole of a doorway with a few gasps of awe escaping from their mouths.

"Hey boys! Like it?" I called with a grin.

They all turned their heads and looked down at me.

"Jade!"

I was soon trampled and surrounded by their hugs and laughter; all of them saying different things along the lines of "I'm so glad your okay" and "We we're so worried."

Except for when Donnie mentioned my forehead, which was still covered in blood. The color drained from their faces, turning pale. At least by turtle standards they turned pale.

"Ya... I'm more worried about you guys, I mean you didn't notice the blood until Donnie mentioned it?" I joked, giving them all soft punches in the shoulders.

They all downcasted, looking a little bit ashamed of themselves for failing to see my head wound.

Donnie reached into his handy duffel bag over his shoulder and pulled out a water bottle, a rag and a big bandage out of a first aid kit. _He really was always prepared. _While Donnie cleaned up the mess on my forehead, the others explored our new home. Mikey ran to almost every room upstairs, claiming that they were all his.

"Uh Mikey… That last room at the end of the hall, I already claimed it." I said, raising an eyebrow at him.

He looked crestfallen for a split second. "Well okay; since you're my favorite sister, I'll let you have that one. But the rest are mine!"

Donnie shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "She's your only sister Mikey."

He slid down the railing of the stairs and landed in front of us, grinning from ear to 'ear.. "Which makes her my favorite!"

I chuckled as Donnie finished up bandaging my head. "Thanks Don." I smiled gratefully.

He put the leftover supplies into his bag and pulled me into a tight, protective hug. "Of course Jade."

We released each other. Donnie looked around the lair thoughtfully. "I could really tune this space up!"

I walked over to the middle of the room where Leo and Master Splinter stood, studying the layout.

"You see my children. Change is good."

Leo beamed. "We couldn't agree more Master Splinter." He replied.

"Good." Master Splinter smirked and snapped his fingers. "Now lets see you all clean up for a change. This chamber is filthy."

His voice was cut off by the sounds of whines and moans. "Aw man."

* * *

It took us almost 4 weeks to clean up and move into the new lair. Raph, Donnie and I were sent back to our old home to grab some supplies that was still usable. Thankfully the TV, fridge and stove were still intact. It took several trips to retrieve our belongings and yet, we still haven't collected it all. Splinter had a stash of cash he had kept safe and sent me topside to buy clothes, food and some other necessities for us. I of course, had Splinter along with my brothers watching me from the rooftops when I went. It took quite a bit of persuading to let my brothers come topside to play bodyguard with Splinter. But he finally agreed, knowing that it wasn't much different from going to the junkyards at night. When I asked Master Splinter where he found so much money, he simply told me that I would be surprised at much money gets swept into the sewer. Over a span of many years, Splinter had collected over a few hundred dollars.

We looted dozens junk yards and found a great deal of things. Donnie and I fixed up plenty of TVs, toilets, computers showers and even a microwave. Mikey found plenty of video games and comic books lying about. We all managed to find furniture, which was pretty tricky getting into the lair but we managed. Raph found a weight lifting set and a punching bag, I don't think I've ever seen him that excited about anything before in my life. We didn't have much for decorations, but after a month, our home finally started to look like a home.

We had collected seven TVs in total and stacked them on one another in the living room. Why we needed so many, I didn't know. As Mikey set the last remaing TV on the small mountain; he scrambled to the electric outlet to plug it in. Donnie was hanging from some cables and working on the electricity up on the high wall.

"What's the matter Mikey?" He called. "Can't decide what to watch?"

Mikey plugged in the cords for the TV's together. "I need more power captain! The Turtle Cave must be set for a maximum entertainment potential."

He clicked the remote's power button and the TV's turned on. But all there was, was static.

Donnie put his hands on his hips after jumping down. "The Turtle Cave? That is so lame."

Mikey put his hands up. "Well, what would you call our new digs? The Shelter?" He said sarcastically.

Master Splinter and I were sitting on the couch in front of them, sewing up a dummy we would use from training. I stopped stitching and looked at them with an eyebrow raised. "I thought we were just calling it the _home_?"

Donnie and Mikey looked at me, then back at each other and shrugged. "Catchy."

Splinter finished his side of the dummy. "Now, what is keeping Leonardo and Raphael?"

I finished my stitching and stood up, dragging the dummy to the wall next to the door of the new dojo. "They just went to get the last of our stuff from the old lair."

Donnie ran over to a table set up with parts of the mechanical robots lying on it. He had stuffed them in his bag when we had gone back to grab our belongings from our old home. "And with the way the new Sewer Slider is performing, they should be back any minute now."

The Sewer Slider. Basically a hovercraft that the genius Donatello had created with parts from the junkyard. With my help it only took us a week to make it. It was small enough to use in the sewers.

The great part was that after discovering that our new home had a garage connected to it that led to the surface. Now Donnie could create the truck he had made blueprints for. Which he had always wanted to make. It was big enough to hold both the Sewer Slider and the truck. Donnie and I decided were going to call the truck the Battle Shell.

Master Splinter walked up behind Donnie and gave an uneasy look at the robot pieces on the table. "Even though they are inactive, they still make me worried Donatello."

Donnie lifted the head of one of the robots and looked at his reflection in the shiny metal. "This is state-of-the-art robotics Sensei. Brilliant work. I just gotta know what makes them tick."

There was two bright lights on the other side of the lair in the garage. Leo and Raph returned with the Sewer Slider and the rest of our belongings. Which wasn't a lot. Leo tossed Mikey a box full of his DVD's.

"Awesome! Our video model is ready to rock n' roll." He switched through the channels on the TV's, landing it on the news. The voice of a news lady sounded throughout the living room.

"_In a press conference today at Stocktronics Incorporated, New Yorks leading technology firm.."_

Mikey faked a yawn. "Boring." He was about to switch the channel when Donnie stopped him.

"Wait, I want to see this."

"_... founder and CEO doctor Baxter Stockman was on hand to unveil his latest innovation." _

An African American man in a white suit appeared on the screen. "_All wise men once said 'Build a better mousetrap and the world will be the path to your door.' Today I say let the path speaking begin; For I, Baxter Stockman have designed a solution to the city's ever growing rat problem." _He gestured toward the ground, where a white sheet was covering something. "_I give you.. the ultimate expression of mouse termination technologies. The Stocktronics Mouser. " _ He pulled the sheet off, revealing one of the familer, shiny robots.

We all let out a surprised gasp. Donnie was still holding the mousers head.

"I can't believe that the famous Baxter Stockman would try to pass off these killer robot things as a good thing."

Mikey took the robot head from him and began making it talk like a puppet, but I wasn't listening.

There was something familiar about Baxter Stockman, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I kept my gaze on him, studying his Harry Potter shaped glasses and his facial features as he kept talking to the screen.

_Where have I seen him? _

Baxter put his hand over his mouth for some reason; but as soon as he did, it hit me. I felt te blood in my veins go cold.

_He was the one who was conducting experiments on me when I was kidnapped._

I felt Leo nudge my shoulder and give me a wandering-confused glance. I shook my head, muttering I would talk to him about it later. He didn't get to reply as we jumped back in surprise when Raph plunged his sai through one of the more nicer TV monitors.

"Hey! It took me three weeks to find a monitor like that!" I yelled.

"I say we head over ta Stocktronics and kick some serious ass." Raph ignored my complaint and started towards the stairs until Master Splinter blocked his path.

"Absolutely not." He used his walking stick to hit Raphs head. "You can ill afford to be seen by more humans. You're lucky I let you go off with me to watch Jade as she buys supplies for us."

I remembered Mikey telling me how they were forced to go to the surface to get to the drainage junction after our old home was destroyed. And they were attacked by a gang of thugs who called themselves the Purple Dragons; then later attacked by ninjas in black skin tight suits afterwards.

When Mikey mentioned the ninjas, I had gone stiff.

_Could they have been the same ninjas that kidnapped me from my home all those years ago? _

I didn't try to look worried, I didn't want to worry him, or any of my brothers for that matter. I just wanted to forget about it; because it couldn't have been the same ninjas... Right?

But after seeing Baxter Stockman on the screen, I'm starting to have second thoughts. I never shared what had happened to me before Master Splinter found me in the sewer. They never asked so I never told. I knew they were extremely curious about it, since I still bear the old, ugly white scars on my skin from my tormentors. I never wanted to even think about it.

My thoughts were interrupted by the TV. Baxter Stockman came back on screen after a short commercial break with another girl. She look like she was in her early twenties with her strawberry orange hair in a tight bun on her head. She wore a white scientist coat over a black shirt.

"_My assistant, Ms. April O'Neal will release several rats into the simulation chamber." _

April held a box with half a dozen rats inside and walked over to what looked like a small maze. She dumped the mice into the maze and watched them run around, getting lost with the many dead ends. Baxter Stockman held a mouser in his hands and gently set it down at the entrance of the maze.

_"Now observe the sheer genius of my mouser in action." _

The mouser started to run through the maze, grabbing rats with its two powerful steel jaws; Tearing them apart. I could hear the awful shrieks of pain from the rats.

_"... And the mouse search and retrieval was a success..."_

I turned off the TV, unable to watch anymore in fear that my stomach would heave. "So that's why the mousers were so interested in you Sensei. They were programmed to attack rats."

"Man, I would hate to be a rat in this town." We all glared at Mikey, before he realized what he said. He glanced at Master Splinter. "Oh uh.. Sorry Sensei."

I groaned at Mikey's oblivious nature.

We separated and went off to do our own things. Leo came up to me when I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"So? Whats wrong?" Leo asked, leaning his shoulder against the newly applianced fridge.

I avoided his eyes, taking a sip of water. "Nothing."

"I know when you're lying Jade. Come on, what's up?"

I gave in, sighing. I can't hide it all forever. "The man. Baxter Stockman. I know him. He was with me when I was kidnapped all those years ago."

"What? Jade, what did he do to you?" His overprotective; older brother instincts kicked in. He gently grabbed my shoulders, giving me a peircingly worried look.

"I promise I'll tell you what I remember but I want everyone to hear it as well." I held his forearms, feeling the need to grab something.

Leo gestured to everyone in the living room but I shook my head. "But not quite yet. I want to think this over first."

Leo frowned, looking like he wanted to argue about it but eventually nodded. "Okay Jade."

Training. Today's lesson was Raph's favorite. Individual offensive attacks with weapons.

We all stood in a circle around Master Splinter in the new dojo off the living room, taking turns attacking him.

"Do not lean with your shoulders Donatello."

"Faster on your counter attack Leonardo."

"Mind your footwork Michelangelo."

"Never turn your back Jade."

Raph was last to attack, but his rashness caused him to get his sais knock out of his hands and pinned up to the wall by Splinters walking stick to the plastron.

"You are distracted Raphael. You must learn to focus your attacks."

Raphael was released. "Ya I'd like ta focus my attacks on that Stockman guy!" He ran after Master Splinter, blocking his path to the doors of the dojo. "Why can't we just go topside and show'em a little mean and green?"

Master Splinter glared at Raph and walked around him. "Because I forbid it!" He made his way to his own room that was next to the dojo. "We will resume your training in the morning."

Raphael groaned, then gave a what looked like a fake yawn. "I'm beat. I'm gonna rack."

I stood next to Leonardo and gave him a skeptical sideways glance. "Since when does Raph turn in so early?

He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

We followed Mikey over to the living room and flopped down on the couch; deciding to watch _Red Dawn _while Donnie went into his new lab, saying something about trying to fix up one of the mousers. During the movie, I nudged Leo.

"So I'm just going to assume Raph is going to wait for us to pass out before he goes topside." I whispered, earning a nod of agreement.

"I was thinking the same. Disobeying orders, as usual."

Mikey passed out during the movie. So Leo and I decided to wait for the ever so cunning Raphael to come running down the tunnel to go to the surface.

I leaned my shoulder against the wall, while Leo stood in the middle of tunnel with his arms crossed. His signature stance.

"Midnight stroll Raph?" Leo asked sarcastically.

"Outta my way Leo."

Leo narrowed his eyes from behind his blue mask. "Master Splinter told us to stay here."

Raph put his fists up. "Look I'll go through ya if I have to."

"I'd like to see you try hothead." Leo taunted, getting into his starting fighting position.

"Careful what'cha wish for Splinter Junior."

Raph snarled in reply before diving on top of the eldest.

They started wrestling, rolling on the ground. I rolled my eyes and smacked them both on the back of their heads.

"Would you boys knock it off?" They both rubbed their heads and glared at me. "My god, you're both acting like 4 year olds!"

Before they could say anything, a yellow eye lit up the tunnel a little, coming from a mouser that ran by us followed by our purple and orange banded brothers.

"I got one working you guys! Come on! He's faster than he looks!" Donnie cheered excitedly as he and Mikey ran by, chasing the mouser.

Raph glanced at Leo, raising a brow with a sarcastic smug on his face. "So... Ya gonna let that mouser roam free in the sewer?"

Leo groaned, getting to his feet."Master Splinter is going to kill us." He took off after the youngest turtles with Raph and I behind him.

The mouser kept a decent speed as it took random twists and turns. It took no notice of my brothers and I following it.

"Just curious Don, what's to stop turbo jaws from munching up another 6.2 on the Richter scale?" Mikey asked.

"I shut down its jaw circuits. Now it couldn't even chew through a stick of gum." He grinned.

As if to challenge that statement, the mouser stopped in its tracks and faced the wall. It's jaws opened as wide as they could and chomped down onto the bricks like it was a wall of butter. It soon made a large tunnel.

We just stared in shock at how _easy _the mouser made that look.

Raph annoyingly looked over at Donnie. "You were saying?"

"But I.. I was sure I shut it down." He dropped his shoulders and frowned sadly at the thought of his failure. He took small mechanical difficulties very seriously.

Mikey came up and put a hand on Donnie's shoulders. "Aw.. Don's finally lost his techno-mojo. Such a shame really."

"It must have some kind of security override routine. Come on!" I didn't wait for their reply as I stepped into the mouser made tunnel.

My eyes had to adjust to the darkness. I kept my hands on the rough walls to keep myself from falling over. Luckily, my superior eyesight helped me.

After reaching the end of the tunnel, we found that the mouser had already reached the end of next tunnel it had dug it's way into.

Leo pointed. "There it is!"

The sucker was fast.

Upon entering a open room filled with sewer water, pipes and more entrances to more tunnels; another mouser appeared. Walking in a different direction as the previous mouser we had been following.

"Woah.. Who invited him?" Mikey asked.

Raph answered by pulling out a throwing star from his belt. "I got it!" The star hit the mouser in the head; tearing through the metal and making it fall over.

Unfortunately, it didn't stay down. It got back up on its feet and roared at us. As if it was like a rallying call, more mousers appeared out of seemingly nowhere and started surrounded us.

"This is not good." I slid out a wakizashi. "This batch is a lot stronger than the last."

"Maybe we can finally have a decent party then." Raph spun a sai in his hands.

The mousers pounced; all letting out their own high pitched battle scream. Removing the head seemed to be the only way of bringing them down. Being that way, the task was rather difficult for Donnie and Mikey since they were the only ones without a steel weapon. But with a little teamwork, I stuck close to Donnie; slicing the mousers he hit like a golfball in my direction.

In the midst of the battle, Donnie also got extremely giddy about the new technology of the mousers.

"These mousers are incredible! The servo mechanics, the circuitry, the articulation!" He yelled excitedly.

Raph kicked a mouser before looking over his shoulder at Donnie. "Geeze Don, why don't ya just marry one already?" He raised a sai to impale the last mouser.

"Wait, we should leave at least one intact!"

Raph had already plunged his sai into the mousers head before Donnie could finish.

Leo sighed. "Well, so much for tracing them back to their source."

I slid my wakizashi back into its sheath. "Now what?" Mikey asked.

His question was answered by a high pitched scream. Mikey glanced at me as if to say _What the hell?_

"It wasn't me Mikey!" I gave the _duh _look.

Donnie held up his hand and pointed toward the entrance of one of the many tunnels. "Down there!"

The tunnel was a dead end. Except for the mousers were down at the end surrounding a lady. She looked familiar but my brothers and I wasted no words before destroying the mousers. She looked up around the scattered mouser parts that laid in front of her then looked up at us in relief.

"Oh.. Oh thank you. Thank you so much. You saved my.. My.." She stammered out.

Mikey put his hands on his knees and grinned a few feet from her face. "Hey! How ya doing?"

The lady took one horrified look at him, then fainted. Mikey walked over to her and picked her up, bridal style. He turned around and looked at us with begging eyes.

"So.. Can I keep her?"

I rolled my eyes. "No Mikey we can't keep her."

Leo put a hand on my shoulder. "We need to know why she was being attacked by those things. We should bring her back to the lair."

I shrugged his hand off my shoulder. "Uh, I'm pretty sure Splinter told us we were supposed to be avoiding human contact." I looked over at Raph for some support.

He shrugged, sliding a hand over his head. "Man, I dunno Jade. Splinter has always been teaching us ta do the right thing and... saving this girl was the right thing."

I threw my arms up in defeat.

Donnie tilted his head, taking a few steps toward the lady in Mikey's arms. "I think she's the lady who was on TV with Baxter Stockman, she's his assistant!"

Raph turned around and began walking back out of the tunnel. "Great. Now we can tell Master Splinter that Mikey found a new pet."

Mikey frowned. "Hey!"

"Splinter is going to hate this." I mumbled.

* * *

I was right of of course. Master Splinter was outraged when we walked back into the lair with a lady. Or, her name was April O'Neal according to what we heard on TV earlier. Mikey laid her on the couch and stood in front of her with his hands on his hips, waiting for her to wake up.

Leo and I explained the events of tonight's reason for leaving the lair without permission. When we finished the part of performing our first rescue mission, Master Splinter looked over thoughtfully at the April laying on the couch.

"Perhaps she may be of assistance."

We all stood in front of the couch, watching her start to moan and open her eyes. Raph pushed me to the front.

"Maybe she won't freak out if she sees you first."

"You guys are standing right behind me! It's not like that would…"

Aprils voice cut me off before I could say too much.

"Oh man… What a dream! Turtles fighting robots? Did I fall asleep watching TV again?" She looked directly at me. Then saw my brothers standing behind me. "That… was.. the… weirdest.. thing… I've... ever... seen!"

Mikey pushed me out of the way and put his face a foot away from hers. "Hi!"

April screamed; causing Mikey to scream. I put my hands over my ears.

Mikey took a few quick steps back in surprise. "Please don't do that!" He put one of his hands over his plastron and heaved dramatically. "I almost jumped out of my shell."

April stared at Mikey's three fingered hand in horror. "It has... Three... Fingers!" She grabbed the pillow on the couch and threw it over her head, closing her eyes and started repeating "I'm asleep" over and over again.

Donnie stared at her in confusion. "This isn't going very well."

Mikey looked back at us. "Hey! Come on! We don't have a lot of practice talking to humans! It's gonna take some time."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" I grumbled, crossing my arms.

Mikey put his hand on his head. "Oh.. uh.."

I rolled my eyes and walked in front of April and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey April. You're not dreaming. Trust me, they're real."

April looked up from behind the pillow. "How do you know my name?"

"You work with Baxter Stockman. We saw you on the news earlier."

She looked between me and my brothers at a rapid pace. Her eyes darting back and forth. Master Splinter pushed through us and stood before April.

"Perhaps you are ready to answer some questions Ms. O'Neal."

April immediately fainted at the sight of him.

"Well you have a way with the ladies Master Splinter." Donnie said. "Now what do we do?"

"Let's nudge her?" Leo suggested.

Raph held up a fist. "I'll snap her out of it."

I grabbed his arm. "Raph no!"

Mikey had wandered away and put on his headset. "Ugh.. Somebody get me when she wakes up." He pressed play on his MP3 player and let his music blast through the speakers.

It took about almost a half hour for April to come around again. Leo offered to make her tea while Raph went to wake up Mikey, who had fallen asleep in the chair listening to music.

April still looked a little worried when we all came back to the living room. Leo brought her a small cup filled with hot black tea. She thanked him and took the cup in her hand.

Mikey walked over with a small, warm smile on his face.

"So.. You okay now?"

April nodded. "Yes, thanks. This is definitely the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me."

Master Splinter kneeled in a recliner chair across from her. "We have something important that we must discuss. We have never revealed ourselves to the upper world. You have placed us all in great danger."

April glanced at me sitting on the armrest of the couch with a suspicious look. I shrugged. "I'm an exception."

"I'm afraid we find ourselves at your mercy." Master Splinter continued.

April held out her hand. "Oh no, I would never tell anyone! I mean.. Who would believe me?"

Donnie nodded his head. "She's got a point."

"Ya! We're unbelievable!" Mikey joked.

Raph hit him on the head. "Geeze! Where's your off switch?"

April put her hand over her chest. "Seriously, I promise."

Master Splinter took a moment and stared directly into her eyes. "I believe you."

Leo stood over his shoulder. "Is this another lesson Sensei? How to sense the truth!"

"No, this is called trusting your gut." Splinter replied, with a hint of sarcasm that rolled into his voice.

April continued to study my brothers and Master Splinter while giving me a few glances as well.

"So if I'm keeping your secret, what exactly is it? Who are you people? Uh turtles.. Whatever."

Master Splinter began to tell the story I had heard many times over the years. I could almost recut the same words that escaped off of my fathers tounge.

When the tale had been completed, each of my brothers gave their names.

Leo stood up and gave her a slight bow. "I'm Leonardo."

"Donatello."

"I'm Michelangelo, but you can call me Mikey!"

"I'm Raphael."

Mikey laughed. "All the good ones end in 'O'!"

Donnie and I snickered as Raph slapped the Orange banded turtle across the back of his head. Leo and Splinter gave Mikey a warning glare.

April nodded her head to me, giving me a slightly suspicious look. "Then who are you and how did you get here?"

I gave her a weak smile. "I'm Jade. I'm kind of their... Adopted sister."

She tilted her head. "How?"

Everyone turned their eyes on me. "I've been with them for twelve years and they don't even know the whole story yet." I glanced up at my brothers, who all nodded their heads for me to continue. They deserved to know after all these years and I did tell promise Leo that I would eventually tell everybody.

"It was probably close to two or three in the morning over twelve years ago when some men in black ninja suits broke into my home. They took me to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Everyday, I was escorted to two different rooms. One was pure white and looked kinda like an emergency room which I had just called The White Room. There, I was strapped to a table by my ankles and wrists with a couple bright lights in my face; getting injected with different liquids and sliced with scalpels without any anesthetics. I'm still not really sure why they were experimenting on me." I scratched the back of my head. "Afterwards, I was carried to a cement room; tied to a chair and basically..." I paused for a moment, choking on the next dark word. "... Well, I was tortured. Burned, cut, electrocuted. You name it. That's where all these pretty scars came from." I gestured to my body. "I was being tested for my _pain tolerance. _After being there for a little over a year, I escaped and his in the sewer. Splinter found me crying and took me in."

My brothers looked horrified after I finished. Even Master Splinter was a little frightened, leaving an uncomfortable lingering silence.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Leo asked.

I shrugged, avoiding everyone's eyes. "You never asked me where I came from, so I never really felt the need to tell. Besides, it was a long time ago."

Leo walked over to me and kneeled down so he was eye level. He put his hand on my shoulder, using his other to gently lift my chin. Forcing me to look up at him. "Even so, we don't want you fighting your past alone. If it haunts you, we're here to help. We care about you."

I frowned slightly. "I just think it was big deal until a few weeks ago." I turned to Mikey. "Mikey, remember when you told me about your guys first time going topside, where you all fought with those ninjas?"

Mikey nodded slowly. "Uh.. ya? What about it?"

"Those ninjas you described sound like the ones that kidnapped me." I gave a sideways glance at April for a second. "And I remember one of the men who always performed his experiments on me in The White Room."

Donnie tilted his head. "Who is it?"

I felt ice run through my veins. "Baxter Stockman."

"That's why you froze up while we were watching the news earlier." Leo mumbled, lost in his thoughts as he stared at the ground.

I nodded. The short silence was broken when Mikey accidently turned on the TV, the news channel was reporting a bank robbery.

"_...And the police are completely baffled by tonights bank robbery boldly executed in broad daylight. If anyone has any information, the police urge to to call the crime stoppers hotline."_

The screen then shower footprints in the vault of the bank. Mouser footprints. April squinted at the screen. "So this must be what I heard Doctor Stockman talking about. He's got the mousers robbing banks!"

I sat down on the couch with my chin resting on my hands. Raph flopped down next to me and gave me a mix between a worried and a furious glance. "So whatta ya know about this Stockman guy?" He asked April.

"He's a genius but he's also nuts. I got suspicious and he turned the mousers on me! Luckily I ran into you guys."

I looked up. "He destroyed our old home."

April put her hands on her hips. "Must have been one of mouser test runs."

Raph got to his feet and took out his sais, spinning them in his hands. "Then whatta we waiting for? I say we shut down mouser central. Permanently."

"It won't be easy. Stocktronics is rigged with latest, up to date security tech." April remarked, putting a finger to her chin in a thinking gesture.

Mikey slapped Donnie on the shell. "Ha! Bring it on! Allow me to introduce our very own secret weapon! The techno-turtle himself… Donatello! Take a bow Don!"

Donnie pushed him away gently, blushing and chuckling. "Aw cut it out."

Master Splinter gave us his blessing to leave the lair to infiltrate Stocktronics. "Be careful, my children." He stared at me as he said it.

Leo hugged my shoulder. "She'll be okay Sensei. We'll take care of her." He reassured Master Splinter, sensing his growing worry.

Splinter nodded. "Yes, I know you will my son." I heard him give a worried sigh as he watched us run up the stairs to the entrance of the lair.


	3. Past Enemies Never Really Leave

**Chapter 3: Past Enemies Never Really Leave**

* * *

Stocktronics was indeed updated with the latest security system. There were small sensors in the sewers surrounding the building from underground. The wiring was even too complicated for me to comprehend, so upon breaking into the Stocktronics building, I left the system hacking and circuitry cutting to April and Donnie. We broke through a ventilation shaft and ended up in a hallway with a door across from us that was labeled as 'Lab A'. Raph crawled out of the ventilation shaft first and helped April get out. The rest of us followed.

Raph took a look around. "So this is the place?"

April nodded, pointing at the 'Lab A' door. "Theres a computer terminal in that lab. Get me in and I can create blank spots in the security system to get you through to Doctor Stockmans main lab."

Raph looked over his shoulder at Mikey. "Don't look now, we already got a blank spot right here."

"Hey." Mikey glared at him.

The 'Lab A' door was locked. Raph snapped his fingers at me. "You're up."

I pulled out a pair of pick locking tools that I had in a small pocket on my utility belt since I was the quickest at picking locks out of all my brothers. The lock clicked almost instantly. I turned the door handle slowly and pushed it open.

"Open sesame." I whispered proudly.

Lab A was dark inside, but filled with different sized computers hooked to large monitors on the wall. April raced over to a desk at the back of the room, sat down on the cushion chair and began typing at lightning speed. She was good. She turned her head over her shoulder to look back at us standing behind her.

"Okay, I'm in. I'm blanking the cameras along that corridor at 10 second intervals." She turned back to the screen. "So you've got to keep moving."

We all began silently moving toward the door. "We'll be right back."

I don't think she had heard us leave because I thought I heard her say something but I didn't catch it. We sprinted down the corridor, finding ourselves at a pair of large scale automatic sliding doors. Approaching them, they slid open by themselves revealing another dark and silent room.

"This place is too quiet." Leo whispered.

"Uh guys.. my turtle sense is tingling." Mikey said nervously.

The doors behind us closed rapidly, locking us in the room. The bright, blinding lights turned on and a booming voice started speaking over an intercom. Baxter Stockman was in a observation room on the other side of the lab, glaring at a screen in front of him.

"Intruders? Here to steal my secrets? You'll leave here with nothing, not even your lives." He paused, squinting at the screen. "What on earth are you?... No matter, I suppose ill just have to dissect you to find out."

He pressed one of the buttons in front him. Big machines that hung from the ceiling turned on and aimed their barrels at us; releasing red lasers that rapidly shot out of them. Jumping and flipping, we avoided getting hit. I took cover behind a cement pillar, peeking out to observe how the machines was functioning, hoping to perhaps to find a weak spot or any way to shut it down. The machine turned in my direction and began its fire.

I felt a laser get shot close to my palm, a little too close for comfort. I shook my hand slightly to remove the burning feeling I had. As I did, the machine began smoking and spinning in a circle. _What the hell?_ I stopped shaking my hand. The machine stopped spinning and ceased it's smoking. Furrowing my brow, I looked down at my hand and flicked it to the side

The machine exploded.

_Whoa._

I peered at my brothers who were too distracted by the four other shooting machines to noticed what had just happened. Leo used his katanas to block and deflect a shot from hitting Raph, the laser bounced off the blade of his katanas and hit the machine, causing it to explode. Donnie managed to use his bo staff as a high jump pole to fling himself on one of the machines. He started directing it's fire to other shooting machines. After they were all destroyed, he removed a metal lid on the back and pulled out random wires. The machine started to override and imploded itself.

I returned my attention to Stockman, who was in shock at our performance.

"Mikey! Slingshot!" I called.

He nodded and stood in front of the wall directly below the observation room Stockman was in. He cupped his hands together and hoisted me up; More like throwing me. I landed on the ledge just outside the room and broke the glass with the handle of my wakizashi. Stockman began to back up but tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. My brothers were standing right behind me after I had walked up to Stockman, grabbing his shirt with both of my hands, slamming his back against the wall.

"Remember me Baxter Stockman?" I hissed.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "I don't believe we've met girl."

I slammed his back against the wall again. "Twelve years ago, You experimented on a little girl in a warehouse outside of New York City. She escaped after a year of torment and she's been looking for her kidnappers. You're the first she's found." I sneered.

Stockman's eyes flickered with recognition. "You."

He pushed me back and pressed a button that was on the wall next to him. Raph grabbed his arm, gripping it tightly.

"That's enough! What do ya want with Jade?" He demanded.

"What are you things?" Stockman gasped at him.

April appeared out of an elevator at the back of the room. "Their with me."

Stockman eyes snapped at the sight of her. "April… you're alive!" He exclaimed nervously.

"And kicking. I've got enough evidence to put you away for years Doctor Stockman." She pointed at him accusingly.

Buzers and alarms started to sound around the lab. "Well I've recalled the mouser hoard from their latest mission! They'll be here any second. They'll tear you to pieces." Stockman said, smirking to himself as if he knew something we didn't.

I could hear a chorus of metal clanging against the cement floor. Down in the lab, dozens upon dozens of mousers came through automatic doors around the observation room. "April…" Leo started.

She ran over to the computers at the desk, typing rapidly. "I'll have to shut the whole system down."

Donnie quickly followed her lead. "I'll help!"

Stockman struggled at Raphs grip. "You're doomed." He grinned evilly.

He finally freed himself when Raph was caught off guard by staring at the mousers that had started coming through the broken glass of the observation room window and headed to the elevator.

Stockman looked back at me before entering the elevator, giving me a smug glare. "And as for you… _Jade_, my master will be pleased with your reappearance. The whole organization will be notified and your powers will be his."

I started toward him but he backed up into the elevator quickly, the doors shutting him in front of him.

"Shit!" I yelled, slamming my fists against the elevator doors.

Raph came up behind me and pulled me away from the elevator. "Let him go, we got bigger problems."

I hadn't even noticed that the mousers had now started to surround us in the room. Raph and I backed up to the desk where April and Donnie were still trying to shut them down.

"It's not working!" April yelled.

"Keep trying!" Donnie replied in the same worried tone.

"Well it's been fun guys." Raph grunted.

All of sudden, the mousers stopped. Their yellow eyes started to blink. They didn't move, almost like they were frozen. Leo grinned and gave me a highfive.

Mikey picked one of the mousers up by the neck and threw it across the room. "Losers!" The mousers eyes turned red and a buzzers started to sound from them. Smoke started to escape from their metal jaws between their pointy teeth.

April turned around. She wasn't celebrating. "Uh guys, I wasn't able to shut them down. The only way I was able to stop them was to initiate a override sequence."

Mikey's grin turned terrified. "In other words.. Lets get outta here!"

Everyone began to jump back out the glass window to the floor on the lower level. We barely made it out the room before it exploded. More alarms in the corridor sounded. Time to go.

Making it out was easy. Same way we broke in. But I couldn't help think of what Baxter Stockman said.

_My master will be pleased with your reappearance. _

_Your power will be his. _

What the hell did that mean? Who was his master? The questions repeated over and over in my head all the way home like a record that was stuck on repeat. It was a sick beat and It made me feel weak.

* * *

After returning back to the lair safety, we promised April we would escort her back to her lair when it got darker outside.

Master Splinter immediately wanted to be informed of how the infiltration went. We kneeled in front of him inside his chamber, with the exception of April who sat on a small cushioned footstool against the wall. Dozens of candles were the only source of light along the heavy musk of incense, smelling like a mix of Japanese orchids and evergreen trees. Splinters two favorite scents.

"... He just said that his master would be please that I have 'reappeared' and that my powers would be his." I described, using my fingers to quote.

Master Splinter stroked his long, fur beard thoughtfully. He was kneeling front of a long, thin coffee table that was quite low to the ground, thanks to Donnie. He helped make the legs of the table shorter for Splinter. On the table, there were multiple candles and sticks of burning incense, some paper with Japanese writing on it, and a small chest. Splinter opened the chest and pulled out a small old piece of ripped cloth. On it, was a red symbol.

"Jade, have you seen this symbol before?" Master Splinter asked, handing the cloth to me.

I flipped the cloth over to get a better look at the symbol printed on it. _Son of a... _I recognized it immediately. It was the three spiked diamond I had seen when I was in captivity all those years ago. I must have tensed up because Leo broke the silence.

"Jade? What is it?" He asked, his voice sounded worried.

I sighed. "This symbol was on the ninjas that kidnapped me. It's also the symbol that was on the same ninjas that attacked you guys when you went to the surface that night the mousers destroyed our old home."

April tilted her head. "I've seen that before! It was on Stockmans computer when I tried investigating on what he was up too."

"What does it mean Sensei?" I handed him the cloth back.

Master Splinter rubbed the cloth between his fingers. "You all know the story of Oroku Saki and my master, Hamato Yoshi, yes?"

"Duh." Mikey said sarcastically, earning a slap in the back of the head by Leo.

"Of course Sensei. What about it?" Donnie asked.

"This is the symbol Oroku Saki began using when we were in our teens. It's his representation, he calls himself the Shredder and it is a symbol of the Foot ninja clan he created. I have been meditating deeply on recent events. From the destruction our old home to today's infiltration. I believe that Oroku Saki is somehow involved in your past, just as you discovered that Stockman was." Master Splinter put the cloth back in the chest. "What they want with you, I can't tell."

"I don't know Sensei. But when Stockman mentioned powers... I... I think I know what he meant." My brothers all turned their heads and gave me questioning looks. Except for Donnie; he looked like knew where I was going with this.

"At Stocktronics, when those machines were shooting at us. I was hiding behind one of the pillars and all I did was like... move my hand. The machine started smoking and spinning. Then I like, flicked my hand and the machine just… exploded." Raph gave me a disbelieving stare.

"I saw that. But I thought the machine had just overridden itself or something. Because you were the only one by that particular mechanism and you didn't do anything... Well not anything that I saw. I just knew you were behind the pillar." Donnie shook his head. "But I have noticed there was something different about you Jade. You can jump from high heights and not break an ankle. You have incredible eyesight for a human and we all know you're extremely fast. I mean faster than any human should be. I think everyone here can agree with that."

My brothers and even Master Splinter agreed to that statement by nodding their heads. I never took all of that into thought; I mean I had studied a book that Donnie had found on the physics and engineering aspects of the human body but I guess he was right, I was a little superhuman compared to what a normal human should be.

"What I want to know is, What does Oroku Saki and Stockman want with these… powers and how did I get them?" I asked, rubbing my temples with my fingers gently. "I don't even know what powers I have."

All this new information and pressure was making my head hurt severely. There's so much that has been thrown at me in the last few hours.

"I do not know but I'm afraid we will find out sooner rather than later." Master Splinter sighed.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me so I avoided them by staring at the ground.

I heard Leo clear his throat. "Let's bring April home you guys."

* * *

After removing the manhole cover of the sewer, April was the first to crawl out of the hole. She turned around as the rest of us climbed the ladder to the surface.

"I'd like to invite you all in but I really don't have anything to offer you guys except for.. Uh frozen pizza."

Mikey pushed us all out of the way and scrambled to the pavement on the street. "Let's go for it!" He yelled excitedly, practically drooling at the thought.

April gave us a confused look. "You guys eat pizza?"

Donnie and Mikey exchanged a funny look. "Doesn't everybody?"

"Right.. Uh… Alright. Come on."

Mikey walked beside her, still looking giddy at the thought of greasy pizza. "So you live in an antique store?"

April pointed to the apartment complex above the store. "Above actually."

The apartment was right over her father's old antique store called 2nd Time Around after inheriting it from her father who passed away many years ago. It was full of… wonderful things. Shelves upon shelves of old and dusty trinkets, books, posters, and there was even weapons a full suit of knight armor. April let us scavenge around and take whatever we wanted.

"This place has everything!" Donnie exclaimed.

April grinned and nodded. "Yup, just about."

Leo buried his head in a book full of poems in Japanese, while Mikey found a pair of cymbals. He glanced over at me with a sinister grin and started sneaking up behind Leo. April and I covered our ears when the cymbals crashed over Leos head, causing him to scream.

We all had found a few things by the time we decided to head home. I had exchanged my number with April so she could call is if she needed our help. I told her she could also call if she ever wanted to come down to the lair. It was kinda tricky finding the place, so she would need some help until she memorized the way there by herself. Master Splinter had already given her permission to come visit whenever she could.

I was excited to put my new antiques in my room, but I was more excited about the new weapons I had discovered in the back of the store. I found a variety of Japanese throwing knives in all shapes and sizes called shurikens. I had started a collection of them when I was little ever since my first lesson with them; although I couldn't recall it; Master Splinter said that I was a natural. My very first try, he said I had gotten a bullseye on the targets he had set up for my brothers and I.

I could hear Raph and Mikey downstairs. Mikey sounded like he was teasing Raph, Raph sounded pissed at him. The usual. I listened to them bicker while polishing my shurikens, I giggled to myself at the comments Mikey was making until I heard a loud crash. Like something had broke. Then Mikey's wailing voice sounded.

"Raph! I was just kidding!... Wait! Raph!"

"Teishi Raphael!" I heard Master Splinter yell.

I got up quickly and ran to the balcony just in time to see Raph standing over a cowering Mikey with a leg of a broken table that was nearby and held it over his little brothers head. Thankfully, Leo grabbed his arm, stopping him from taking any blows.

"Raphael! Have you lost your mind?" He bellowed.

Donnie and I had ran over to Mikey and helped him to his feet. I stared at Raph in horror.

"What the hell Raph?"

Raph furrowed his brow and slapped a hand on his forehead in confusion. He looked back and forth from Mikey to Leo over and over.

"Mikey... I... Leo... Uh..." He stammered.

Master Splinter walked up and put a paw on Raphs shoulder. "Ah my son, so angry. You must learn to control it."

Raph shrugged Master Splinters paw off and got up. "I'm goin' out."

We watched him walk up the stairs and through the new sliding brick door Donnie installed at the entrance. Mikey rubbed his head while Leo went to collect all the broken wood that was scattered across the floor.

"Mikey are you ok?" I asked.

"Uh... Ya I guess. What a hothead."

I punched him in the arm. "Well you should know better than to tease him with that temper he has."

He shrugged. Master Splinter shook his head slowly and shuffled back to his room. I looked back at the entrance; wanting to go talk to Raph but I knew he needed some time to cool off. Donnie had already made his way to his lab and Mikey was slumped on the couch playing a video game. I turned back to Leo who had finished picking up the wood.

"Taijutsu?"

He nodded and grinned, turning toward the dojo with me right behind him. We both enjoyed training together, it's what we did during most of our free time. Perfecting our form, technique, skills and reaction timing. I also worked on perfecting my knife throwing and my archery; which kinda became a hobby after Donnie helped me set up a target after I had found an old longbow in a junkyard, complete with a set of arrows and a quiver. We also spent a lot of time meditating, a lesson both Leo and I had already mastered at our young age.

I never liked when Leo; or any of my brothers took it easy on me. I didn't want and I didn't like an easy training session.

The eldest and I both put all our strength when hitting each other. When we were done, we had light bruises beginning to form on our skin but we didn't mind. To us it just meant it was a good training session.

Raph had been gone for over three hours, so I decided to check up on him. I put on a pair of black skinny jeans along with a blood red t shirt and a new pair combat boots April had let me take since her feet were too small for them. I grabbed my utility belt that held half a dozen throwing of my new shurikens and my wakizashis before heading for the door.

"Be careful Jade." Leo sighed.

"Mochiron ani." _Of course brother._

* * *

Topside, it was nice and cool out. A clear night that allowed the moon to shine brightly on the rooftops and streets, leaving many dark shadows. Perfect.

I pulled out my Shell Cell, tracking Raphs own Shell Cell was a special feature the phone provided thanks to Donnie's handy work. Thankfully he was only a few blocks away in a small park... With another man. The man was wearing a white hockey mask and wearing a golf club bag full of different sized hockey sticks, golf clubs and baseball bats. He was standing over a couple of kids with a hockey stick in his hands.

"... Now that was a crime! And heres the penalty!" He whipped his hockey stick in a circle, hitting the boys across the face.

"Two minutes for slashing.."

One of the boys started to get up. The man took his hockey stick and tripped the boy with curved end of the hockey blade, causing him to land heavily on his back.

"Two minutes for hooking. And let's not forget my personal favorite, two minutes for high sticking." He raised a hockey stick over one of the purple dragons head until Raph came up and pushed him to the ground.

"How about a five minute game misconduct for roughing pal." Raph grunted.

He only knew what a five minute game misconduct penalty was because I taught him everything about hockey, since I watched it all the time. _You're welcome._

The boys on the ground scrambled away while the man furrowed his brow at Raphs appearance.

"Hey what are you, some sort of punker?"

Raph tilted his head.

"Man I hate punkers. Especially bald ones with green makeup… Who wear masks over ugly faces." The man continued, squinting at Raph.

Raph balled his fists together and swung a punch at the man. Unfortunately for him although, the man saw it coming and dodged the swing.

"Oooo strike one."

A second punch was thrown the mans way but he dodged that one as well.

"Strike two." He smirked.

Raph threw an uppercut at his chin, something the man was unprepared for. He flew in the air and landed with a heavy thud on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. Raph put a foot on the mans back and threw his hands up triumphantly.

"Raphael wins! One, nothin'!" He shouted.

_Stop getting cocky Raph…_

The man pushed him off and stood up, pulling out two small bats from his bag. "Classes pain 101, you're new instructor is Casey Jones."

He took a swing at hit Raph, also missing as Raph avoided the hit. He grabbed the bat in his hand and took a quick glance at it.

"A Jose Canseco bat? Tell me you didn't pay money for this." Raph pulled the bat from Caseys hand.

Casey pulled a new weapon from his bag. A bat with a flat end. "Cricket."

Raph screwed up his face, pulling his forehead down and pushed his mouth and nose up. "Cricket? Nobody understands Cricket! You gotta know what a Crumpet is to understand Cricket."

Casey swung that bat, hitting Raph in the chin and sending Raph flying headfirst into a garbage can right behind him. Casey kissed the wood of the cricket bat and slid it back into the bag. "So long freak I've got work to do!" He sprinted away laughing.

Raph angrily tried to pull the garbage can off his head and shoulders.

"Freak? _Freak?_" He bellowed.

I left my hiding spot and ran over to help Raph pull the trash can off. He glared at me after I helped him back to his feet.

"If you're here ta give me shit about Mikey earlier, I don't want ta hear it." His voice tinged with a little menace.

I chuckled softly. "No Raphael, I am not here to give you shit." I pulled out throwing knife a twirled it in my fingers, grinning. "I'm in the mood to bust some skulls. Aren't you?"

Raph smirked and nodded, putting out a fist. I bumped it with my own smaller fist. "Let's go bust some skulls."

Within a few hours, we had stopped two gangs of men from robbing a couple stores in town. We called it a night after that. I checked the time on the Shell Cell.

_3:47._

Leo would probably have my head for being out so late, he could get so overprotective sometimes. But there's not much he could do at this point, he was just going have to deal with us when we got back home. Morning training was going to be a little rough without more than a few hours rest.

* * *

I was right. Again. Leo was chewing me out for staying out so late last night.

"Leo, we don't have a curfew." I laughed softly.

I was in the bathroom French braiding my long brown hair with Leo leaning against the door frame, crossing his arms. I knew he wasn't really that upset, he just cares about me. Leo and I were the closest of all the siblings in the Hamato family after all.

"That doesn't mean you get to stay up all night Jade."

"I'm sorry _dad_. It won't happen again. But you should at least chew Raphael out too, he was up top with me too." I replied sarcastically as I finished braiding. I turned toward him, mimicking him by crossing my arms like he was.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Real mature Jade."

I mimicked his voice. "Real mature Jade."

Leo huffed and turned around. "Come on smartass, it's time for training. Go get Mikey."

I sprinted upstairs where Mikey was still sleeping in his bed. I poked his forehead gently before yelling his name loudly in his ear. Mikey's eyes popped open and I swear he must have jumped three feet in the air.

"Whoa... Not cool dude!" He grumbled.

I laughed. "Come on sleepy head, it's time for training."

Mikey grumbled some more while putting on his mask and pads. I left the room and slid down the railing of the stairs on my feet. Landing on the ground, I made my way to the dojo.

* * *

A couple more months went by. Patrol was almost always the same, Purple Dragons either robbing and a bank or trying to rape some poor, drunk lady in an alleyway. Raph and I finally met the infamous Casey Jones a couple weeks later, helping him in a battle in Central Park with a few Purple Dragons, and finally befriending him. We introduced him to the rest of our family and even April.

Casey turned out to be a pretty good teammate and human ally. Even if he is kind of a dumbass.

We only caught one glimpse of Foot ninjas once, when the power went off in the lair. No, not only the lair. Half the city lost power actually. We located the power failure back to the East River, where a few Foot ninjas were using an enormous machine. A sword was powering the machine up. After retrieving the sword, Master Splinter showed told us it was called the Sword of Tengu. According to him, the sword is a potent mix of science and sorcery. Using magic and special science from a different world, the sword is exceptionally powerful. Grabbing it with your bare hand causes an extreme electric shock. But for some reason, only I was able to grab the handle of the sword without any kind of protection.

Weapons training again.

This session was a free for all. While we were sparring, everyone was claiming their weapon was the best of all of them. Raph grinned.

"Ya know what I like best about weapons practice? The weapons."

I blocked a blow from Raphs sais with my wakizashi. "I would have never figured that one out." I said sarcastically.

Mikey used the chain of his nunchucks to wrap around Raphs sai and pull it out of his hand. "Too bad you're stuck with those lame toothpicks and not a real weapon like the nunchucks!"

Donnie swung his bo staff under Mickeys feet, knocking him to the ground. "Sorry Mikey, but the bo staff is where it's at."

"Boys and girl, put away the toys!" Leo maneuvered a perfect front flip over Donnie. "Double katana is the only way to play!"

He took us out one by one, I was last standing. We sparred for a minute before Leo finally managed to throw my wakizashis to the ground along with me.

He grinned triumphantly. "What did I tell ya? Double katana? Pretty sweet huh."

"Nice one Leo." Donnie said sarcastically, helping me to my feet.

We all stood in a line in front of Master Splinter. "Well done Leonardo. You have won, but do you know why?"

Leo, still holding his katanas in his hands, held them up and looked at his reflection in the blades. "Well I _have _the superior weapons. I read where swordmaster Usashi said that the katana blade holds the soul of steel and is the truest guide to the warriors way.. Which is kinda how I feel."

I rolled my eyes and groaned in unison with Raph. Leo's ego blossomed after he was officially named leader of the team.

"Many things are said but few are true." Master Splinter said pointing up a finger.

Donnie chuckled beside me. "I think someones gonna get it."

Raph smirked. "Master Splinters got that look."

Mikey burst out laughing.

"Michelangelo! Do you think I am funny?" Master Splinter asked, raising an eyebrow. Clearly he wasn't joking around but Mikey obviously didn't get the hint to shut his mouth.

"Um… Ya. I mean sometimes."

Raph, Donnie and I all gave ourselves a facepalm as Mikey continued.

"There was that time you told us that joke about the ox and the sparrow… It wasn't really a joke but it was funny and…" I elbowed him in the plastron."I mean… No Master Splinter…"

Splinter sighed irritably and turned his attention back to the eldest. "Leonardo, attack me with your katana."

Leo backed up a step, bewildered. "Master Splinter… I…"

"Do it! Now!"

Leo swung his katana, bringing it down toward Master Splinters head who caught the blade between his palms, making Leo gasp.

"Shit." I murmured in awe. My father never ceased to surprise me.

"Is this the great and glorious weapon you speak of? Helpless before a rat such as myself? In the hands of a true ninjutsu master, anything can be used as a deadly weapon. Remember, a weapon is only as good as the arm that wields it. Until you have learned this lesson, you have learned nothing." Master Splinter walked back to his room, leaving a mortified Leo at a loss.

Leo didn't say anything, just picked up his katanas and stormed upstairs and out the door.

Mikey shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's order some pizza!"

I groaned. "We've had pizza the last four days Mikey."

My three brothers whipped their gazes at me. "So?" They said at the same time.

I waved them away and headed for the couch. "Whatever."

I turned on the TV and switched through the channels, finding my favorite TV show. Supernatural. Donnie and I were absolutely addicted, I didn't even need to ask if he wanted to watch. Not a moment after it started, Donnie jumped over the back of the couch beside me. Even Raph joined in as the show went on.

"What the hell grabbed that kid?!" Raph shouted, mostly talking to himself but I answered anyway.

"It's called a Wendigo. It took Dean and now his brother Sam is going to find him and torch it."

Raph raised a brow, giving me a sideways glance. "Why's he gonna torch it?"

"That's how you kill a Wendigo."

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the couch. "Damn."

During a commercial break, I heard Mikey talking into the phone by the kitchen. "I want a large, thick crust with double cheese, ham, pepperoni, sausage and chicken." Pause. "Oh and no anchovies. And I mean _no _anchovies." He held the speaker of the phone in front of his face. "You put anchovies on this thing and you're in big trouble okay? That will have to do, and the clocks ticking dude." He snickered as he hung up the phone.

After we ate, Leo still wasn't back and it had been a few hours. We all decided to go out and look for him and it didn't take us long with Donnie tracking his Shell Cell. Those things are so goddamn handy.

We found Leo entering a small dojo on the the corner of 16 South Boil St. The top of the building had windows built in so Donnie suggested we do a little eavesdropping from there. Mikey opened one of the windows slightly, giving us all a better chance of hearing what was going on.

"Man, Leo's acting funny. Going into this building and even storming off after training." Mikey whispered "And I don't mean 'ha-ha' funny. I mean funny funny."

Donnie shook his head. "It's not like him to go off like this."

I eye-balled Raph. "Ya he's acting like you."

Raph glared at me.

"Oh great, another Raph. That's just what we need. Now, another me would be a good thing. I would..." Mikey was interrupted by Raph smacking his head. He pointed to the room down below, where Leo was standing, looking around.

"Hello? Hello!" Leo called out. He stopped short in front of a wall. With... Oroku Sakis red symbol on it. I tensed up, ready to shout to Leo and tell him to get out of there until Raph put a hand on my shoulder.

"If Leo needs us, we're here. But let's see what this is all about."

Leo was suddenly surrounded by at least a dozen ninjas. The Foot. But being the ametuers that they were; Leo easily defeated them; leaving them sprawled across the floor. A man that had been standing in the shadows of the room started clapping, stepping into the moonlight that shone through the ceiling windows.

"Impressive. Very impressive." His gravelly voice said. "My agents said you were good but their description doesn't do you justice. I am Oroku Saki, eighth generation master of..."

"Ya I know who you are." Leo growled.

Saki raised his eyebrow. "Do you? That is interesting. We have important matters to discuss. Things you need to know. What is your name?"

"Leonardo." Leo put a hand on his plastron. "And there are definitely things I need to know. Like why ninjas... Your ninjas have been trying to break our heads for months now and why you kidnapp..."

Saki put a hand up to stop him. "That is exactly why we need to talk. We have been fighting each other when we should be on the same side, fighting against our true enemy."

Leo crossed his arms. "I think I have the scars to prove that you guys are the true enemy."

Saki narrowed his eyes. "You think that's what clear but you have been caught in the middle of a battle that is so much bigger than yourself. But you must know that there is a force, a corrupt and evil force that is out there right now, working its insidious tentacles into every aspect of our world. It is an organization that is devoted to obtaining power through crime, political manipulation and corruption on a global level."

Leo's eyes went wide with surprise. "Whoa."

"Unfortunately, the only thing standing against this evil force is me and my... humble army of ninjas." Saki continued. "We stand alone against them. As my master did, and his master before him. It has been my destiny to fight for the side of good! I was hoping that you would find in your heart to join me and fight against this evil. We could stand together."

Leo uncrossed his arms. "Well..." He started until Saki interrupted him again.

"I would not ask you to decide here and now. Meditate upon what you have heard today and come again tomorrow night with your answer." He turned around and left the room without waiting for Leo to respond.

Leo ran out of the building, and headed for the rooftops. Raph nudged me. "Come on, we gotta go after him."

Mikey was the first catch up with Leo. "Oh Leonardo!" He called. "You have explaining to do."

Leo stopped and turned around, only to get shoved against a brick wall by me.

"What the fuck Leo? You're selling us out? Is that it?" I snarled.

"It's not what you think you guys! I was invited to..." He started.

"To join up with him?" Raph finished for him. I backed away from Leo, keeping my glower on him.

"No!" Leo exclaimed. "I mean... Yes. But it's not what you think! Their not the enemy, everything Master Saki said was..."

"Master Saki? What's up with that huh?" Raph demanded, shoving Leo again into the wall.

"I thought we already had a master... Master Splinter? Remember him Leo?" Donnie said with his hands on his hips.

"Real hairy guy, about this tall?" Mikey indicated a shorter height with his hand. "I don't think we can just ditch him."

"I'm not talking about ditching anyone, I'm only talking about working with another group of ninjas in a fight against evil."

"Against evil?" My voice dripped with acid. "He is evil Leonardo! Don't you remember what his men did to me? What I went through? According to Stockman, I'll be his! He's the only true evil in this damn city and you know it!"

"We don't even know you have any kind of powers Jade!" Leo stated.

Raph pushed me aside before I could answer. "You're totally brainwashed Leo. You can tell your new pals to beat it because we ain't gonna be working with them." He punched Leo in the stomach.

Leo finally lost it and tackled Raph to the ground. Both were cursing each other as they rolled across the rooftop.

"A fight between Leo and Raph?" Mikey asked.

Donnie shook his head. "Oh I didn't see this coming." He said sarcastically.

Leo kicked Raph in the stomach, causing him to go over the edge of the building. The fire burning into Leo's eyes died immediately as he scrambled to the edge of the rooftop.

"Raph?"

Looking over the side, Raph was hanging onto the edge of a window sill about two feet over the edge of the rooftop. Donnie and Mikey pulled him back up.

Leo rubbed his head. "Man, I am such an idiot. You could have been really hurt." Raph slapped his shoulder.

"Ya, you really are an idiot."

I leaned back against the brick wall that was part of a storage house with my arms crossed. "So what are you going to do then sword boy? You're not actually going to join with Saki right?"

Leo shook his head. "I wasn't thinking straight. I can't be on the same side as the man who kidnapped you when you were little. I'm such a fool."

"I could have told you that." I huffed.

"Saki wants an answer? We'll give him one... turtle style."

I couldn't help but let a small sly smile escaped from my lips.

* * *

We informed Master Splinter of the event, and he agreed that Leo needed to refuse Saki's request. Not after what he did to Hamato Yoshi and myself. The next night, we arrived on the rooftop of the dojo Leo had met Saki in the night before. Foot ninjas met us there.

Leo stepped forward. "Tell your master the answer is no!" He growled.

The Foot ninjas said nothing, only taking out their weapons and began to attack. The fight was short however, since the Foot ninjas were very inexperienced. Our celebration of high fives was cut short when another man jumped onto the rooftop. He was a massive man with extremely broad shoulders. He had a long blonde ponytail and a big purple tattoo down his arm of a dragon. Perfect.

The man cracked his knuckles. "I've been looking forward to this rematch freaks."

Rematch? I looked over my shoulder at my brothers with a confused look. "Who the hell is that? You guys have fought him before?"

Donnie nodded. "The night our old home was destroyed. He was one of the Purple Dragons we fought, they call him Hun."

Hun smiled. "Yes. But I'm sure I don't remember a girl with you the last time. You must be Jade."

I lowered my chin. "How do you know me?"

"Stockman informed the Master of your reappearance. I was sent to collect you."

My brothers stepped in front of me. "Over our dead bodies Hun." Raph gave back venomously.

"So be it." Hun charged us.

I watched the battle unfold. Hun knew the basic fighting techniques but with his sheer size, he was simply able to throw a hard punch and send his enemies flying back. After taking out Leo, Donnie and Mikey, Raph jumped up behind Hun and curled his arms around his throat. Hun reached back and grabbed his arm, slamming him on the rooftop ground repeatedly. I raced up and kicked Hun in the chest, making him stumble back a few steps and dropping Raph, who fell onto the ground with a heavy thud. Hun picked up one of Leo's katanas that he had dropped and clashed it with my wakizashis. The glass, of the ceiling of the building was behind Hun after forcing him to move back while we fought. I disarmed him of Leo's katana and kicked his chest one last time causing him to stumble back and break the glass, falling to the dojo floor below.

I stared at Huns unmoving body below before I felt a hand on my shoulder. Leo squeezed it. "Let's go home."

Raphs voice behind us hissed angrily. "Aw shit!"

More Foot ninjas stood before us. Along with another man in a shiny armor wearing a spiked helmet. Oroku Saki. The Shredder.

Sakis eyes stared at me from behind his helmet. "So after all these years, here you are. I was wondering where you had run off to. We have unfinished business, you and I. And I hear that your new name is Jade."

"Took you long enough _Saki_." I sneered. "But my stay with you expired a long time ago."

Saki chuckled. "I crush those who are against me. You will be in my grasp by the end of the night. You will be mine! Foot ninja! Attack" Then pointed at me. "She is mine!"

The Foot ninja jumped and charged us while Shredder came directly to me. He slid out his own katana and clashed with my wakizashi, both throwing various punches and kicks, blocking and avoiding. An explosion went off behind us, causing us both to stop for a short moment; catching a glimpse of a sword that had been plunged into a electrical wiring box on the roof. It had started a raging fire around us. I turned my attention back to the Shredder and began battling it out again.

But only moments later, I felt my arms get grabbed behind me. Foot ninjas forced me to my knees, keeping a hard grip on my arms behind my back. I struggled as Shredder walked up to me, I looked up and watched as his took his hand and held my chin roughly.

He laughed. "I will finish what I began all those years ago!"

I heard Leo screaming "No!" from across the roof but his path was blocked by a wall of fire.

The fire had been eating away at the rooftop for too long, causing it start to crumble. Large chunks of brick began falling to the dojo floor below. I felt the Foot ninjas grip loosen, giving me a chance to break free. I could see Leo waving his arms rapidly while Raph, Donnie and Mikey had piercingly worried eyes as they watched me race toward them.

But I didn't make it more than halfway across the collapsing roof before it fell out from beneath my feet. I heard my brothers screaming my name; but I dropped to the floor below, blacking out.


	4. Never Really Safe

**Chapter 4: Never Really Safe**

* * *

I don't know how long I blacked out for exactly, but it wasn't very long. Groggily, I opened my eyes and found myself on the floor of the burning dojo and felt a burning sensation on my left shoulder. Looking down, I glimpsed sticky, warm blood covering my shirt and oozing out of a gashing hole. I didn't have the time to look at it now though.

_I need to get out of here._

I put my hands on the floor and struggled to push myself to my shaky feet. Burning rubble was all around me. The ceiling of the building was no longer intact and it would be a matter of minutes before the sides of the dojo would collapse as well. The front door was a no go, there was a wall of fire that blocked my path and even if there wasn't, I wouldn't want to try to explain to the cops why the building was burning. I could see the flashing red and blue light over the fire. I turned my gaze to the back of the room, there was a back door.

_What are the chances? _

As quickly as I could, I stumbled to the back door and grabbed the door handle. It was hot like a stove top; the heat of the handle suprised me. But I didn't have any other choice.

"Oh... shit!" I screamed as I forced myself to grab the door handle and turn it.

My hand burned and sizzled. When I finally let go, I found myself in a long , dark alleyway. I could heard the police sirens in the front of the building so I started running the opposite direction. There was nobody on the otherside of burning building. I mean... Nobody. My brothers and even the Foot were nowhere in sight.

Then there was a loud crash behind me.

The dojo had finally collapsed to the ground. I turned back around and started down the sidewalk, sticking to the shadows that the buildings created from the shining moon. I saw movement ahead of me, just a glimpse on the roof.

Foot ninjas.

I needed to find my brothers. I looked down at my utility belt and grabbed for my Shell Cell.

But it wasn't there. _Great._ I was in no shape to fight so I had two options. One was to go find the nearest manhole cover and use the sewers to make my way back home. Two; Aprils apartment was a couple blocks from here. I could go and camp out at her place. Unfortunately I didn't want to pull April into this situation so I decided to wander to the next alley and go into the sewers.

It wasn't a bad idea except for the fact that Foot ninjas were surrounding the manhole, dropping down into the dark hole.

So somehow they know we live in the sewer. How? I don't know but now I was forced to go with my second option. I knew it was a extremely bad idea going to her place, putting her at risk for helping me. I didn't have any other choice though, I needed medical attention and I knew April had some experience. And even if she didn't know what to do, I knew a lot from Donnie so I could tell her what she needed to get for me to patch up my shoulder and burned hand.

I waited for the Foot ninjas to cover the manhole back up before I made my way toward April's apartment. It didn't take long due to the lack of activity in the streets. It was unusual for the streets to be empty like this. And I expected to see more Foot ninjas along the way. As weird as it was, it just made the travel easier for me.

2nd Time Around was dark, but there was a light on in the apartment complex above. I pressed the buzzer button and a moment later, Aprils voice sounded.

_"Who is it?" _

"April it's me!" I panted heavily. "It's Jade! I… I need help."

The door clicked, I winced when I grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. My hand was in more pain than my shoulder was. April found me struggling to get up the stairs.

"Jade! What happened?"

April already knew that we were confronting Oroku Saki tonight, I had told her everything over the phone when I called her. I felt she should know since she was basically family. The Stockman incident had been months ago. Crazy how fast time goes by.

"We met with the Shredder on the rooftop of his dojo and there was this huge fight. During it, someone had plunged a sword in a electrical box and it exploded, starting a fire." I explained as she helped me to the couch. "The roof collapsed after a while and I fell with it; blacking out for god knows how long before I woke up on the floor of the dojo. I made it out of the building before the rest of it burned to the ground. And I don't know where my brothers are 'cause I must have dropped my Shell Cell in the dojo when I fell."

April glanced out the window of her apartment. There was smoke coming from a few blocks away, the dojo.

"I was wondering if that was you guys." She muttered, turning back to me. "I'll call Donnie and let him know you're here, then I'll patch you up."

She grabbed her Shell Cell and dialed for Donnie.

"Don... Donnie, it's me April! Calm down!"

_Pause. _

_"_No she's not, she's here with me."

_Pause. _April glanced over at me.

"Her left hand has some severe burns on it and her left shoulder has a bad gash. Other than a few other cuts and small burns she's fine."

_Pause. _

"Are you guys ok?"

_Pause. _This pause was a long one. It felt like forever before April started talking again.

"Yes, of course you guys can stay here. Be careful."

She hung up and tossed the Shell Cell on the couch, I waited for her to tell me what was happening but instead she disappeared into the bathroom and grabbed a first aid kit before coming back and sitting down in front of me.

"So what happened?" I asked, still waiting to be informed on what Donnie had said.

"He said that the sewers are crawling with Foot ninjas, you guys can't go risk trying to go to the lair. So you're all going to stay with me for awhile." She answered, pulling out a pair of tweezers, some gauze, a sling and a role of white wrapping from the first aid kit.

"But they're ok right? What about Master Splinter?"

She hesitated, not meeting my gaze. "Splinter had found Donnie and Mikey after the building collapsed, saying that he knew something bad was happening. They just found Raph a little over a half hour ago but there's been no sign of Leo yet."

My heart sank. _Damnit Leo. _"I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to stick around the building to see if he could pull me out of the rubble."

I took off my shirt, leaving me sitting on the couch with a black sports bra on. All my brothers had seen me with a sports bra on and April was just another girl so I didn't really care. I peered at my shoulder. It was bad. The skin was ripped and there were small pebbles of rubble that had embedded itself within the flesh. Fresh blood was still slowly oozing, covering blood that had already dried itself. My hand was still sizzling and it was bright red with small bumps that were more noticeable on my palm.

"Ouch."

We sat in silence as April started wrapping my burnt hand. After it was wrapped, April used a pair of tweezers to pull out the rubble from my shoulder, then wrapped it and helped me put my shirt back on. She decided to use the sling just so it was easier for me to manuvere. All together, it took about forty five minutes and there was still no sign of any of my brothers.

April decided to go call Casey and have him come over too. So to kill time, I looked over my remaining shurikens that were still attached to my utility belt, I was missing two of the eight I usually had. Both of my wakizashis were gone as well, being that they were ripped from my hands on top of the dojo when the Foot ninjas had grabbed me. I was furious. They were my most prized possessions.

I finally heard a weak tap on the window. Raph was standing on the fire escape with Donnie, Mikey and Master Splinter. But no Leo.

Raph sprinted over to me and pulled me into a gentle yet fierce hug. "Hey kiddo."

I winced a little from my shoulder, but I didn't really care. "Hi Raphie." I murmured softly.

Mikey and Donnie joined the hug. "Jade, Thank god you're alright!" Donnie exclaimed.

"How's your arm soldier?" Mikey asked, breaking the away from the hug. He have me his best joking grin, but there was some tension that edged in his voice.

"It's fine Mikey. What about you guys?" I glanced at the blood running down Mikey's leg and the nasty cut on Donnie's arm. Raph and Master Splinter had a few bruises and some blood that speckled scarlett on their body, but I'm guessing it wasn't theirs.

"Nothing that a few stitches can't handle." Donnie said reassuringly as he greeted April and she immediately set to work on patching up Mikey's leg.

Master Splinter grabbed my hand and squeezed. "I'm glad you are okay my daughter. Donatello informed me that you had fallen with Oroku Sakis dojo when it had collapsed."

I nodded. "I'm okay Sensei."

He smiled softly, then proceeded to kneel in front of the couch.

"So you guys don't know where Leo is?"

Raph shook his head. "We were all split up after the dojo burned to the ground. There was cops and Foot ninjas everywhere. I found Sensei with Don and Mikey later." He flopped into the couch next to Donnie.

"Both you and Leo didn't have a signal on your Shell Cells, I figured you guys dropped it somewhere and they broke. So we tried heading back into the sewer but some Foot ninjas followed us. Now they know we live down there somewhere. That's when April called." Donnie finished.

"Ow!" Mikey yelped from the kitchen table where April was stitching his leg.

"Stop squirming Mikey! It wouldn't hurt then!" April chastised him.

"I can't help it!" He complained.

I rolled my eyes, clenching my teeth as I readjusted the sling that held my shaky arm.

"So what happened to you then?" Donnie asked, eyeing my shoulder and especially my hand.

"I blacked out after the roof collapsed. Only for a minute or two though. My shoulder collided with so rubble when I landed or something. It was full of rocks and crap that April had pull out. But I managed to get to the back door of the building where I burned my hand on the doorknob. I managed to get into an alleyway before the entire building fell and then I was going to head for the lair but I saw some Foot ninjas jumping into the sewer so I just decided to come here." I explained.

Mikey walked over without a limp after April finished the stitching on his leg.

"Ok Donnie you're turn!" He pointed to Donnie's arm.

Don glanced at the cut. "Ah, It's not even that..."

His sentence was cut off by a faint yell. We all jumped as Leo's mangled body crashed through the window, landing in front of us with peices of broken glass surround him.

"Leo!" I raced over to his extremely bruised body, cupping his cheek in my hand. "What happened?"

His eyes fluttered for a moment, groaning in pain. He grabbed my hand; tightly gripping it.

"I'm gonna find out who did this!" Raph exclaimed furiously as headed for the window.

"Wait... Raph!" Leo called out weakly. The red banded turtle was back at his side instantly.

Leo grimaced as he clumsily placed his other hand on Raph's shoulder. "We n-need to get out of here... The S-Shredder... He's here..." His eyes rolled back into his head, falling limp.

"What?" April cried, as if she didn't hear it. "What did he just say?"

"He said, the Shredders here!" Mikey repeated, as Donnie, Raph, Splinter and I were huddled over Leo.

"There's a lot of blood on his shoulder, it looks like a stab wound. This looks really bad..." I reported.

"And his body is covered in bruises from head to toe." Donnie finished, exchanging a worried glance with me.

Raph stood up, tightly gripping his sais. "When I see the Shredder, I'm gonna rip his fucking little..."

"My son!" Master Splinter put a paw on Raph's shoulder. "Calm yourself. We must help Leonardo."

"Uh guys? We have company!" Mikey hand pointed outside the window.

Across the rooftops were dozens upon dozens of Foot ninjas.

"Time to go!" Donnie yelled.

"What's the plan? Leo's always the one with a plan, so what are we going to do without Leo giving us a plan?" Mikey yelled, his voice was pure panic.

"There's no time to make up a plan." Raph snapped.

"Why not?"

Foot ninjas began crashing through the already broken windows.

"Master Splinter, April, grab Leo! We'll cover you!" Donnie exclaimed, pulling out his bo staff.

April and Master Splinter grabbed Leo and hauled him behind the couch. I stood in front of them with a shuriken in hand. Mikey made his way over until a Foot ninja raised a small battle ax over Mikey's head.

"No!" Splinter cried. He raised his walking stick and blocked the blow before kicking the ninja in the chest. He turned back to Mikey and I. "I will hold them off. Help April get your brother downstairs and out through the antique shop!" He then joined Raph and Donnie.

Mikey and I turned to Leo. His eyes were slightly open. "Leo?" Mikey said worriedly.

"My swords... W-where are my swords?" He choked out.

"Take it easy bro, we're getting you out of here!"

April helped Leo stand up as Splinter caught an arrow that a Foot ninja had fired. He broke it in half. "Enough!" He looked at Raph and Donnie. "Raphael, Donatello, cover the rear." He turned back to Mikey and I. "Jade, Michelangelo, I told you to help April get Leonardo downstairs!"

"Leo! Lean on me!" I heard April groan in frustration.

"April, get away if you can... This is our fight, not yours..." Leo stammered out weakly.

"Not my fight?" April turned her head to look at him. "Look Leo, we're family now. I could never run out on you!" She started for the door to the shop. "Let's go!"

Mikey opened the door to find more Foot ninjas behind it. He jumped in the air and kicked the ninja in the front of the group with both of his feet, creating a domino effect with the rest of the ninjas, causing them to all fall down the stairs.

"All clear!" Mikey cried.

Donnie and Splinter had slowly made their way to the door. "Raph! This bus is leaving!"

Raph nodded in the midst of punching a Foot ninja. He joined Donnie and Splinter at the door, fighting off the hoard of ninjas still jumping through the windows. I nudged Mikey.

"Come on, let's scope out the store." I turned the doorknob at the bottom of the stairs with my good arm.

"Uh... Ok." Mikey gulped and followed.

Mikey peered inside the shop. "It's quiet... Almost too quiet." He then turned to grin at me. "Always wanted to say that."

I smacked his arm. "Focus Mikey!"

I opened the door completely to find four ninjas waiting for us. Wearing loose red shirts and shiny armor. They each had a different weapon and they all wore a bowl shaped hat on their heads. _Kasa's._

"Uh... Nice hats." Mikey closed the door and started back up the stairs.

"Wrong way Mikey!" Donnie cried.

"Wrong way my foot!" Mikey exclaimed. "Poor choice of words but, major ambush down there!"

"We don't have a choice! They're pouring in through the windows upstairs!"

"Hey!" Raph yelled from the top of the stairs, still fighting off Foot ninjas. "What's the story down there?"

Mikey used his hands to cup his mouth. "There's some mean looking guys down here!"

Donnie raised and eyebrow behind his purple mask. "Mean looking? Duh!" He scoffed.

I rolled my eyes and opened the door again. Donnie stared at the ninjas. "...Nice hats." One of the ninjas threw his axe. I pushed Donnie out of the way, ducking to avoid the axe.

Another ninja threw his spear at Donnie. He gasped but managed to barely avoid the shot as it pierced the wall next to him. He moved back to the doorway where the stairs were.

"Raphie! We got trouble down here!" I yelled.

"Like I don't got trouble up here!" Raph yelled.

Splinter stopped April and Leo from entering the shop. "Shredders Elite Guards! They are the deadliest of his warriors, lethal assassins!" He raced upstairs and muttered something to Raph.

Raph came downstairs and and entered the Donnie, Mikey and I. He took one look at the ninjas.

"Nice hats."

"Yeah, we thought so too." Mikey agreed. Both him and Donnie were nodding.

The Elite ninjas charged, wasting no words. As they fought, I helped April come through the shop with Leo. He was struggling to stay awake; Fluttering his eyes constantly.

"Jade… I'm… I'm sorry.." He whispered after leaning him against the wall in the back corner of the shop.

I shook my head, resting my forehead gently to his. "No no no no… you're okay. You'll be fine. You don't have anything to be sorry about."

He let out a humorless laugh. "Jade... Just let.. Me..."

"Jade." Aprils voice cut him off, she was staring behind me.

I felt a big, tall figure standing behind me.

Hun.

"Aw Hun. Glad you could join the party after your little tumble." I smirked, standing up and putting myself in front of Leo and April.

Hun smiled and cracked his knuckles. "Your friend doesn't look too well." He looked over my shoulder at Leo. "Shall I put him out of his misery?"

"You're not touching him."

Hun shrugged and his smirk grew. He eyed my sling and wrapped hand. "Well, you're not looking very good either. I'll put you out of your misery first."

"Jade... No!" I could hear Leo yell weakly behind me.

Hun swung his overly large fist. I ducked, throwing an uppercut at his chin like I had done earlier against him. It threw him off guard.

"April! Get Leo out of here, now!"

Hun recovered from the hit and swung another clumsy punch. I dodged it, dropping low I quickly slid out a shuriken and impaled his thigh. Hun cried out, he swung his big arm and grabbed my sling. The strap of the sling fell off my as he pulled me up into the air. My shoulder screamed in agony. I cried out, using my other hand to get a grip on Huns enormous wrist.

Raph looked up from battling the Elite ninja with a double sided sword. "Jade!"

Hun leaned his face close to mine. His dragon breath surrounding my nostrils. "Not so strong now are we?"

"Put her down!" Mikey cried in between giving blows to an Elite ninja.

"As you wish." With a loud grunt, he threw me across the shop. I collided with a pipe that was connected to the ceiling and floor, falling onto my stomach.

"No! Jade!" Donnie ran over and hauled me to my feet.

"That fucking hurt." I gritted my teeth weakly, grabbing my shoulder in pain.

Donnie grabbed the sling that was still around my arm and put the shoulder strap over my head and rested it on my other shoulder. The Elite ninjas suddenly vanished in a scene of smoke. Raph and Mikey gave each other each other confused glances.

"Maybe they gave up?" Mikey suggested hopefully.

Smoke blew up by the front door of the shop as a familiar, armored figure kicked the door off its hinges.

"Shit..." Raph murmured.

The Shredder stood in the doorway, looking at each us of. "You've all been a thorn in my side for too long."

Master Splinter pushed through Raph and Mikey. Donnie pushed me behind him, using his arm to grasp my hand. I could feel his heart pounding as I grabbed his shaky hand and peeked at the front door from behind his shell.

"I will have my revenge from our last encounter, _rodent. _You all had better say farewell, while you still can." The Shredder continued.

"Oh ya Mr. Spikey Pants?" Mikey put on his best serious face. "We'll you're the one who should be saying farewell… to uh… to yourself!"

"Oh yeah Mikey." Raph snorted. "That'll get him."

Mikey glanced over at Raph. "Hey! I'm under a lot of pressure right now."

"Silence!" The Shredder roared.

"This attack is nothing but a cowardly gambit!" Master Splinter snapped. "Wearing us down by sheer numbers! It is not the way of the ninja!"

The Shredder step back in surprise, then let out a short laugh. "Finish the turtles and get the girl." He pointed at me. "The rodent is mine."

The Elite ninjas obeyed, attacking without question. Raph, Mikey and Don fought them off as the Shredder and Splinter squared off. I shuffled back to Leo and April who were at the back of the shop. Leo's head and shoulders were in April's lap, currently unconscious. Me and April jumped when the glass of the windows in the front of the shop shattered. A motorcycle was thrown to the side of the room as a man jumped off of it in the air and landed in the middle of the room. He wore a white hockey mask.

_Casey Jones._

"Took you long enough to get here!" I shouted at him.

His eyes glared at me from behind his mask and threw his arms up. He turned back to the Elite ninjas and the Shredder who were staring at him in shock.

"Now that's what I call crashing a party." He approached one of the Elite ninjas with a metal baseball bat. "Though I've never seen a lamer party in my life!" He hit the Elite square in the chest with the bat. "This can't be the band… I want rock and roll man!"

Don, Raph, Mikey and Master Splinter followed his lead. The Shredder walked over in front of me, smirking behind his helmet.

"You're coming with me my dear."

I held up a shuriken. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Oh... That won't be a problem."

The armor on the top of his hand had three long spikes on it, he held it up and got ready to take a blow on my head.

"No!" Master Splinter had blocked the blow with his walking stick. "You have killed my family once! I will not allow it to happen again!"

"You dare to stop me?" The Shredder snarled.

"You dare to strike an injured warrior?" Master Splinter countered. "You have no honor!"

"I fight to win!"

As they battled, more Foot ninjas came through the already shattered windows. Master Splinter yelled to my brothers. "We must retreat!"

"To where?" Raph yelled, kicking a Foot ninja.

April started dragging Leo to a door on the side of the shop. "In there!"

I opened the door as Mikey ran over to help April. Casey, Donnie and Raph quickly made their way to the door. Splinter gave the Shredder a last kick, making him stumble; and giving my father enough time to scramble away and go through the door. Mikey quickly closed the door and locked it.

It extremely was claustrophobic in this room. One of my lame-ass fears. Donnie kneeled down and grabbed my shoulders, reassuring me that it was okay as I covered my eyes and started breathing in and out as slowly and as normally as I could. I could hear everybody talking.

"Well this is great." Raphs voice muttered. "Cold, cramped and dark."

It's a walk in cooler." April explained. "This place used to be a grocery store once upon a time..."

"Fascinatin'."

"It's kinda quiet out there. You think they all just... Went home?" Mikey's confused voice asked.

I looked up. My breathing had slowed enough to calm me down.

"Yeah Mikey." Raph rolled his eyes sarcastically. "We scared them off by runnin' into a closet and lockin' the door." He then took deep, dramatic sniffs through his nose. "I smell smoke."

Donnie and I sniffed. "I smell gas." We both said at the same time.

Raph turned on Mikey. "Mikey!" He growled.

Donnie shook his hand. "Not that kind of gas!"

Mikey grabbed the doorknob. "Hey! This doors getting hot." He slammed his shoulder into the door, but it wouldn't give. "It's jammed! It won't open!"

Casey took a step forward, sliding his mask on top of his head. "Gas plus flame equals..." His eyes snapped open. "Let's book, now!"

Raph and Casey started trying to help Mikey open the door. Flames started appearing underneath the space below the door. April started pushing a heavy box at the back of the room.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I remember when I first moved here..." She started to explain as she pushed the box. "There was a hole in the wall, where a cooling unit was removed." She pointed to a thin metal ventilation shaft hatch that was screwed to the wall. "There."

Raph wedged his sai between the metal hatch and the wall, prying it off. "Alright everybody! Move it!"

Donnie helped April and Mikey pull Leo through the small hole, followed by Master Splinter and Casey. I stumbled after, crawling through the hole, getting weaker as I went. My shoulder burned and my head was throbbing so bad I felt like I was going to pass out. My vision blurry.

Raph instantaneously scooped me up in his arms, bridal style. "I got you kiddo, just stay with me."

We sprinted away front the shop, barely making a safe distance as it exploded. Fire and smoke consumed what was left of the building. April bursted into tears, sobbing into Casey's chest. Donnie and Mikey had Leo's arms wrapped around their shoulders, struggling to keep him upright.

"I'm sorry Ms. O'Neal. But we must help Leonardo find a safe place to heal."

"But where?" Her wobbly voice asked.

"The lair?" Mikey suggested.

"We can't go to the lair." I stated weakly, feeling Raph's arms tighten as he pulled me closer to his plastron protectively. "Saki has his whole ninja army down there."

"And we're in no shape to fight." Donnie added.

"Fellas." Casey started, almost cheerfully. "I know just the place. My grandmas old farmhouse is a few hours out of town in Massachusetts, we'll be safe there."

Master Splinter nodded. "Then let us go."

* * *

We used Casey's suburban to drive to his grandmother's farmhouse. The windows weren't tinted at all and April didn't want my father and my brothers to be slouching on the floor of the car, making sure nobody else saw them so Casey hooked up the trailer car. Splinter insisted that I stay in the comfort of the car.

He _tried _to insist.

I refused to be away from my brothers. April gave us all blankets since it was going to be pretty cold. I shared one with Donnie since it was big enough. I locked my good arm around his, resting my head on his shoulder, trying to keep warm. We both shivered, clinging on to each other. Leo's head rested in Master Splinters lap. He was so _pale. _His usual mossy colored skin had lost most of its color. Bruises and cuts covered his body.

He was in really bad shape.

"Is he gonna be okay Sensei?" Donnie asked, his voice shivering.

Master Splinter hesitated. "Only time will tell."

A single, silent tear started escaped from my eye and ran down my cheek. I couldn't bear the thought of losing my older brother. Our team leader. What would we do without him? What would we _all _do without him? I buried my head into Donnie's shoulder, while he rested his cheek on the top of my head, still staring at our unconscious brother.

We all sat in silence until the trailer stopped moving. I heard April come to the back and open the trailer up.

"We're here. I'll help you bring Leo inside Master Splinter." April started. "Mikey, you help Casey get firewood."

I let go of Donnie and slowly shuffled out. Casey was standing in front of the house, grinning. "This is it!" He said happily. "Isn't it great?

I stared at the broken farmhouse. The window shutters were off their hinges, the paint was chipping off, a window on the upper level was cracked and the there was plenty of shingles on the roof missing.

"Didn't they use this place in the Grapes of Wrath?" I cringed, heading for the door.

Casey stop walking. I could feel his scorching glare burning into the back of my head.

The porch creaked awfully. I opened the door to find myself in a large living room connected to a kitchen. April came behind me with Master Splinter and a very limp Leo, setting him on the couch, wrapping him in a large comforter. As the rest of us came inside and settled in the living room, Casey and Mikey brought in a big load of firewood.

"... Alright, so this place needs some fixing up. It got a little run down after grandma passed away." Casey was saying to Mikey.

April had kneeled down to the fireplace, pulling a lever in the chute that released a large pile of soot and dust. Her and Mikey began coughing.

Mikey glared at Casey. "When was that? The late Jurassic?"

Casey returned his glare. "Dude, you live in a sewer."

Before Mikey could snap any comment back at him, Leo groaned. His head shook slightly.

"Leo?" Donnie asked hopefully.

Leo's moans stopped shortly. His body gave a quick stutter, then he became still. Master Splinter quickly put his pointer and middle fingers together and searched for a pulse on Leo's neck.

"My son? Leonardo!" He cried after a few trys. Tears were running down his furry cheeks. He turned back to us, his voice cracking.

"He is gone."


	5. Discovery

**Chapter 5: Discovery & Uninvited Guests**

* * *

_"He is gone." _

Leonardo Hamato is dead.

That was all I could process in my mind. It was like there was some sick and twisted chant that continued to play those words over and over like a broken record player. My heart ached in the most painful way and a dull throb gnawed at my soul. I knew I was taking his death the worst of everyone in my family. Leo's body was peacefully lying in the spare bedroom. I haven't really left the bedroom since he died, which was almost two days ago. I just sat on a chair next to the bed, staring at his deathly pale face.

I just couldn't believe that my older brother was dead.

I couldn't believe it. I _wouldn't _believe it_._

* * *

Donnie stood in the doorway with a plate of mashed potatoes and a glass of water, watching Jade sit silently on the chair mourning their big brothers death. Her shoulder slumped dramatically. She hadn't eaten anything, drinkin' anything… done anything since Leonardo had died. Everyone had their own method of mourning but Jade's was the most dangerous. He entered the room, putting the plate and glass on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Jade, you need to eat."

Donnie wasn't sure if she even heard what he said. If she did, she made no movement that showed she was interested in eating. He sighed and kneeled down on one knee next to her. Grabbing her hand, He used his other hand to gently cup her cheek in his hand and turned it toward him.

"Jade."

Her eyes were bloodshot and transfixed with grief. But after he said her name, she gripped his hand back; As if she needed some sort contact.

"You need to eat." He repeated.

Donnie wasn't even sure if she was registering anything that he was saying. He started to turn toward the glass of water but stopped when Jades grip on his hand tightened. It was like she was afraid that if he left, he would die too. His presence seemed to be helping her out by filling in the empty void she felt. He just nodded understandingly, and kneeled next to her for awhile. She returned her gaze to Leo's body on the bed, he chin sinking dejectedly in her chest. Raph came and stood in the doorway, tilting his head slightly at Donnie. Donnie simply frowned and shook his head. Jade was just too deep under to do anything. He looked back at her and turned her head toward him again.

"Please eat a little. For me?" He asked, praying she will do something; make some sort of motion.

Her pale face stared at him before giving a slight nod. Donnie nodded back.

"Okay. I'll be back in a little bit. I promise." He stood up after giving her forehead a quick kiss. She released his hand and automatically returned her gaze back to Leo.

Donnie walked over to Raph and silently shut the door behind him. They both walked back to the living room where everybody else was seated except for Casey and April, who were out buying supplies for the next couple months.

Mikey was sitting on the couch with his elbows on his knees and his chin rested on his hands. He looked up at Donnie and Raph returning from visiting Jade.

"Anythin'?" He asked hopefully.

They both shook their heads. "She just sat there staring at him. The most I got was small nod when I asked her if she would eat something for me." Donnie sighed in defeat.

"She hasn't said a word since Leo died." Raph muttered.

Splinter was kneeling in front of the fire. His shoulders were slumped. "Your sister is taking your brothers death extremely unwell." His voice gravelly said, stating the obvious.

"Well she was closest to Leo." Mikey mumbled. "We all know that."

"We know Mikey. But she's going to kill herself if she doesn't do anything." Donnie gave back.

"It's going to take time my sons. As it is for all of us." Master Splinter said sadly.

* * *

After Donnie shut the door, I glanced at the food on the table. I was starving. But at the same time, I wasn't really hungry. I didn't feel anything actually. I was just numb.

"Oh Leo..." I started, my voice cracking. "What am I going to do without you?"

I grabbed his cold, stiff hand. "You're so strong and I don't know if anyone can replace the leadership you've given us. You've taught me so much that nobody else could have. This team needs you."

Tears were streaming down my face. There was so much I wanted to say but I just couldn't get it out. I dropped my head on Leo's plastron and sobbed. "I need you."

There were a million things that ran through my head. I hadn't started crying until now, not even right after Leo died. I was in pure shock after Master Splinter said he was dead. I couldn't cry. All I could do was stare at his lifeless body on that couch as everyone else, even Raph, bursted into tears.

My thoughts were cut off by a burning sensation in my hand. My right hand wasn't even the hand that I burned on the doorknob when Oroku Sakis dojo burned down. Instead of letting go of Leo's hand, I clamped down harder; using it as an anchor for the hellfire pain that rippled under my skin. Random jolts of extreme pain would feel like a punch in the stomach or a kick to the head. I gritted my teeth as black and purple bruises began to slowly form on my flesh. Cuts were magically seared into my skin, spilling blood down my arms.

_What the fuck?_

It felt like forever. Slowly, more and more bruises and cuts formed on my flesh; and the the pain increased dramatically. I screamed out, finally finding my voice as it felt like my soul was being ripped from my body. Donnie was the the first to burst into the room with Raph and Mikey directly behind him. They all had wide eyes when they saw me screaming, gripping onto their dead brothers hand with purple bruises and cuts forming on my skin. Raph rushed over and forcefully grabbed my cheeks.

"Jade? Jade!" He screamed in my face. I couldn't answer; my breath heaved from the pain. He looked up at Donnie who was standing next to me. "Donnie! What the hell is happenin' ta her?"

Donnie shook his head. "I… I don't know!"

"Well fuckin' do somethin'!" Raph screamed back at him, then returned his gaze to me. "Hey, hey, hey, hey stop it!" His voice raised.

Mikey just stared in horror from the doorway with Splinter. Neither knew what to do. Not that anybody, including me, knew what to do in this situation. Donnie panicked, prying my hand off Leos, breaking my connection with him. Then the pain subsided. I ceased my screaming and looked back down at my body, the bruises began slowly disappearing. The cuts started healing together by themselves. The only thing that didn't leave, was the blood. I was breathing so hard that my chest was heaving and my breathing so fast that I was hyperventilating. My body shook and my vision began blurring up. Raph started saying something as my eyes started to close. I couldn't hear what he was saying, his voice just turned off as I slumped into his arms, blacking out.

* * *

Raph caught Jades body as she passed out. He gripped her close to his plastron before looking up at Donnie. "What the hell was that?"

Before Donnie could say anything. Leos body shot up from the bed, nearly giving everyone in the room a heart attack. He took in a huge breath, inhaling deeply into his dry lungs. He looked around wildly, his eyes darting from left to right. No one in room moved, they just stared at him like he was a ghost. Finally, his eyes rested on Donnie, who was standing at the foot of the bed.

"Don?"

Donnie hesitated before rushing to the side of the bed. "Leo? Oh my god... you're alive!"

Splinter raced to the other side of the bed. "My son. Oh my son" He cried happily, starting to tear up.

Leo chuckled softly, still breathing heavily. "Good to be back I guess."

Mikey couldn't even register that his brother was alive. He had just laying on the bed for the past two days and now here he was, laughing and hugging Donnie and Splinter.

Leo noticed Mikey still standing in the doorway.

"Hey little brother." He said warmly.

Mikey took a small step forward. "Leo?" He choked out. Leo nodded, smiling.

Tears burst out of Mikey's eyes as he walked slowly to the bed and hugged him tightly. "You're okay." He whimpered into his shoulder.

"Yeah Mikey. I'm okay." Leo squeezed the orange banded turtle.

Raph just stared at Leo from the floor. Leo caught his gaze and his smile went from warm to terrified when he saw Jades limp body in his arms.

"What happened?" He asked. "What the hell happened to her?"

Raph adjusted her body in his arms so he could see her face. All the bruises were gone but she had blood running down her arm and the side of her face. She no longer had a sling since Donnie had been patching it up every few hours the last couple days. The last bandage change gave him quite a shock; her shoulder was almost completely healed. It was becoming a big white scar. It should have been taking weeks until it scarred up like that.

Raph looked back up at Leo who was still waiting for an answer. "I… We don't know Leo. She started screaming and then she passed out!"

Leo turned to Donnie. Raph was never very good at explaining things. Donnie glanced from Leo to Jade over and over until Leo prompted him to speak again. Donnie sat on the end of the bed.

"I came in here about twenty minutes ago to give her to eat something. She was just sitting on that chair." He gestured to the now knocked down chair next to the wall. "I left and went into the living room with everybody else, leaving her in here. And about five minutes ago we heard her screaming. We came in here to find her hanging onto your hand with bruises and cuts forming all over her body by themselves. As soon as I released her hand from yours, she stopped screaming and passed out." He explained.

Leo looked back down at Jade. "She brought me back somehow."

Donnie nodded slowly. "Seems like it."

Leo suddenly turned more pale than he already was. "Is she dead?"

Raph shook his head. "No, I can feel her breathing. Barely."

Leo sighed in relief, looking around the room. "Where are we? What happened?"

Master Splinter began reminiscing what happened at April's apartment as Raph picked Jade up and put her on the other bed in the room. Donnie checked her vitals, reporting that she was okay for now. But he didn't know how long it would take for her to wake up. The front door slammed as April and Casey returned from town. Their jaws dropped when they saw Leo sitting up on the bed and soon were informed on what had happened.

"So how long have I been dead?" Leo asked.

Casey sheepishly rubbed his hands through his hair. "Uh… About two days."

Leo didn't answer. _Two days?_

"Do you remember anything at all?" Mikey asked curiously, obviously referring to his death experience.

Leo shook his head. "No… I… I don't remember anything."

Donnie noted that plate of mashed potatoes and the glass of water that was still sitting untouched on the night stand. "Well, are you hungry?"

Leo grinned. "You know it." Donnie nodded and ran out of the room to the kitchen. Leo's gaze returned to Jade who still lying on the bed. He sighed worriedly,!hoping she would wake up soon.

* * *

It was black. Pitch black.

I couldn't feel anything and I could see anything. The last thing I remember was Raphs face as my vision blurred to black. What just happened? It was immediately, but I remembered clasping my hand around Leos, there was like… electricity mixed with burning fire. Absolutely excruciating. And I knew what pain was. But where was I now? I wasn't dead right? I've been unconscious before but I was never able to hear my thoughts while I was passed out. Being unconscious was simply like closing your eyes, then opening them again. This was a completely different feeling.

_Am I really dead?_

I started having a panicked feeling. If I was dead, why wasn't I in the afterlife?

Then suddenly. There was a number. It flashed in my mind like a digital clock.

_11._

I didn't get to think about an explanation to the random number as air sucked into my lungs. My eyes snapped open. I couldn't breathe. I struggled to breathe. I heaved and heaved and broke into a fierce fit of coughs. I felt a hand grip my shoulder firmly. Raph was standing next to me; looking like he didn't know what to do but at the same time, looking relieved to see me awake. As I finally was able to get my breathing to slow down, Raph rubbed my shoulder reassuringly.

"Hey kiddo." He said warmly.

"Hey Raphie." I breathed out, smiling weakly. "What happened?"

Raph stood up and slid his hand over his head. "Well, you've been passed out for the last three hours after you brought Leo back."

I froze. "After I what?" I don't know if I heard that last part correctly or if I just heard what I would like to hear.

Raphs eyes snapped open after he realized what he just said. "Oh uh… That's right, you don't remember." He walked out of the room quickly.

I just sat there confused. After I brought Leo back? But that can't be right. Leos dead. I looked over to the bed where Leo had been laying. It was empty now. I went into a slight panic mode as I swung my legs over the side of the bed and quickly stood up. Where was Leo and why wasn't he laying on the bed anymore? I sprinted out of the bedroom shouting.

"Raph! What the hell happened to…" I was cut off as a familiar figure opened the front door quickly.

Leo stood in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. "Looking for me?"

I stood in place, staring at my previously dead brother like he was death himself. Leo's grin died slightly but he kept a warm smile as he slowly walked toward me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I glanced at his hand, making sure that it wasn't an illusion. That I wasn't dreaming this.

I slowly looked back up at his face and put my fingers on his cheek.

"Leo?" I whispered.

He nodded, his grin returning.

I threw my arms around his neck, burying my head into his shoulder. He tightly returned the embrace, squeezing gently. I sniffled as few tears started falling down my cheeks. Leo released me and cupped my cheeks, using his green thumbs to wipe the tears off my face. He even had a few of his own tears streaming down his cheeks but his grin would say otherwise. We both jumped slightly when Mikey spoke. Everybody was in the doorway to the porch, watching us with some of their own tears.

"It's a kodak moment." He joked. Every laughed with him, along with Leo and I.

* * *

Weeks after Leos return, things began to get back to normal.

Leo and Raph were currently in the barn doing who knows what. Probably finishing Leo's new katanas that they had decided to make. Donnie was inside, sitting at the table in the dining room fixing a toaster, and Mikey was MIA. Probably out exploring. Master Splinter was meditating in front of the fire in the living room and April was mopping the floor. Me and her had been cleaning the house up all morning; and it looked pretty good until Casey walked through the door with mud and snow clinging to his boots. He left giant footprints in the doorway. April screamed when she saw the footprints.

"Casey Jones! I just mopped this floor! Out! Out! " She swung the mop at him.

"Hey lady! You can't kick me outta here! This is my grandmothers house, it's mine!" He said, a little edge of worry was in his voice.

April growled with her lip curled, challenging him.

He backed away, opening the door behind him. "Uh... I'll be outside if anyone needs me."

Donnie, Master Splinter and I chuckled as April grumbled into the kitchen. I decided to follow Casey out on the porch. I put on my combat boots and an oversized black crew neck. Casey was still on the porch, using a hose to wash the mud and snow off his big snow boots.

"You really know how to please a lady Casey." I smirked.

He glared at me for a moment. "Women. Who needs them?" He mumbled, going back to washing his boots.

I shook my head laughing and went down the steps of the porch. I heard loud crunching. Like someone was chewing chips with their mouth open. I turned to see Mikey eating nuts out of a bag, leaning against the side of the house. He waved when he saw me.

"Nut?" He asked, holding the bag out to me.

I grabbed a few of the pistachios. Casey joined. "You're the nut. Where have ya been all morning?"

"Just wandering in the woods." Mikey replied with a mouthful of nuts.

I shook my head. "Despite the instructions from Master Splinter to stay near the house."

Mikey shrugged. "I wasn't bothering anyone!"

Casey poked his plastron. "Oh ya? Well I got news for ya nature boy, Crazy man Hatchet next door… He likes wandering those woods too."

Mikey nodded his head quickly, standing upright. "Tell me about it!" He exclaimed. "He sticked his pitbull on me this morning!"

My eyes grew wide. "He saw you?" My voice started rising as I slammed my hands on my temples.

Casey threw his arms up. "For cryin' out loud Mikey! Even _I _know we're supposed to be keeping a low profile up here!"

Mikey leaned back against the side of the house. "Relax! No one saw me! I'm a ninja remember? Low Profile is my middle name."

I rolled my eyes. "That's debatable."

Before anyone could say anything else, a big black van with a black trailer came down the driveway. It sped down and stopped in front of the house.

"Oh great." I muttered. "You two stay here."

"Why do I have to stay here?" Casey whined.

I looked at him over my shoulder. "Because, I don't need a dumb ass like you to say something stupid."

Casey crossed his arms with a frown while Mikey laughed.

I walked to the front of the house, a few feet away from the van. There was a big 'MH' on the side of the van. A huge, buff lady with short blue hair and glasses jumped out of the passenger seat. She was holding a big confederation blaster in her hands.

"This place is perfect." The exclaimed to herself. "Let's do this Parker!"

I knew who this was. Dr. Abigail Finn. Genius but psychotic. Goes around hunting _monsters. _The 'MH' on the side of her van stood for _Monster Hunter, _her ametuer TV show. She hasn't caught a monster yet although but she's extremely determined so it isn't going to be easy making her leave. An intercom from the van sounded, assuming it was the man she called 'Parker'.

"_Affirmative Doc. Activating sorti cam, now." _

A mechanical orb flew in the air off the top of van. It had a small antenna on it and a big lense. It was about the size of head and had rotors on the top, allowing it hover and move. Similar to a helicopter.

_That's pretty high tech. _

Parker's voice sounded over an intercom again. "_We're rolling in three, two, one."_

She started speaking in front of the camera. "Welcome adventure seekers to another action packed episode of the Monster Hunters!" She exclaimed. "Once again, I, Doctor Abigail Finn am close to bagging a mysterious creature. The Green Man of the woods!"

I glared over at Mikey who was peeking out from behind the side of the house. The 'green monster' was obviously Mikey when he was having a stroll in the woods this morning.

_Enough of this bullshit. _I held my hand up and walked over to her. "Excuse me, but this is private property."

Abigail either didn't hear me or she choose to ignore me. "You all know the Yeti, Sasquatch and Bigfoot…" She continued.

I cut her off my standing in front of her and putting my hand up in front of the camera. "Woah woah, hold it! Stop the camera!"

She grabbed my arm and pinned it behind my back. "Mam? What can you tell our viewers about the sightings of the Green Man?" She asked me excitedly while facing the camera.

I turned and punched her in the jaw causing her to stumble back. "This is private property lady! There is no Green Man and I would kindly ask you to leave!" I pointed down the road.

She laughed, not at all angry about the punch on the jaw I just gave her. "There's a monster out there! And I've got proof!" She turned toward the van. "Parker! Roll the tape!"

_"Coming right up doc."_

A screen on the side of the van appeared. The tape started rolling. Showing a... _Green man. _

It was Michelangelo. _That idiot._

Abigail turned back to me. "Are you sure there's nothing in those woods?"

There was a tone of 'I told you so' in her voice. I didn't like it.

"You need to leave. I don't care if there's something in those woods or not. You're trespassing and I will call the police if you don't leave right now." I growled at her.

Abigail didn't flinch. "Exactly what are you trying to hide?" She grabbed my crew neck with both of her hands and slammed me up against the side of the van.

"I'm not hiding anything you shit!" I pushed her away.

"You're a feisty one."

I started toward her but I felt Casey grab my shoulder tightly.

"She's right. You need to leave."

Abigail frowned. "Not until that monster has been..."

I couldn't control my anger anymore. I tackled her to the ground. Punching her in the jaw. Cast had to pick me up from under my armpits to pull me off of her.

"Jade! Jade knock it off!"

I struggled, still glaring at Abigail. "Get the fuck off our property!" I screamed at her.

Casey finally managed to put on the ground. He pointed toward the house. "Go inside Jade! I'll handle this now."

I huffed, giving Abigail another scowl before turning around, grumbling.

I saw Mikey had wandered from the side of the house to the inside entrance of the barn where Leo and Raph were standing with him, staring at Abigail. Mikey must have been explaining what was happening. I walked over to them, still grumbling angrily.

Raph smirked as I approached. "Nice punches kiddo." He held out his fist.

I broke into a small smirk and bumped my smaller fist with his. "She's a stubborn bitch."

Mikey laughed. "So are you."

I glared at him. "What?"

He stopped laughing immediately. "I mean.. Uh... You're not a bitch but you're stubborn. I mean..."

Raph smacked him upside the head. "Shut up."

"You probably shouldn't have tackled her." Leo's leaderly tone had finally returned.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. She deserves it. And I guarantee that Casey isn't going to be able to get rid of her either."

"Well fighting her isn't going to be the answer." Leo's voice stung with criticism.

"It felt pretty damn good." I said, looking back at Abigail and Casey who were currently talking to April who had come outside.

I turned back to Leo. "So how are the new katanas coming?"

Leo shrugged. "We're getting there. We're not exactly blacksmiths so it's a little difficult."

I laughed a little. "I'm sure you guys will do just fine."

I heard the rumble of the vans engine. I watched as it went down to the end of the driveway.

Casey never managed to get rid of Dr. Abigail Finn completely. Even with Aprils help. She set up camp at the end of the road, making new cameras. Or as she called them 'Sortis'. He walked over to the barn grumbling like I was moments earlier.

I crossed my arms, mimicking his voice. "I'll handle it Jade. Just go inside."

"I did better then you Miss Violent!" He glared at me.

"Ya you did a real good job. Now the guys can't walk around the farmhouse freely without having to worry about that chicks camera flying around."

Mikey stepped between us and looked at me. "Chillax Jade. We're ninjas."

I rolled my eyes. "Some ninja you are Mikey. You're the one who was caught on camera in the first place."

"You were caught on camera?!" Both Leo and Raph yelled at the same time.

I sideways glanced Mikey. "You didn't mention that you're the reason we have a psychotic monster hunter here?"

"Uh..."

Raph smacked the back of his head.

Leo peeked out of the barn down the road at Abigail's van. "Alright let's just keep a low profile then."

I huffed, walking out of the barn. "Wasn't that the point of coming up here anyway?"

Mikey and Casey followed me to the house, leaving Leo and Raph in the barn. April was inside with Donnie and Master Splinter, explaining the situation.

"Doctor Abigail Finn? She's a brilliant technologist!" Donnie exclaimed.

"And a gifted biologist. She goes around hunting monsters." I added.

"She sounds like your guys type, brainiacs. Has she ever found any?" Mikey commented.

"No, but the way she was drooling over that video tape of you, you may get to be her first." Donnie replied, giving him the '_You're a major dumbass'_ look.

"I say we go after that video tape!" Mikey said to all of us.

April crossed her arms. "Maybe that crazy doctor, monster person will just give up and go away?" She suggested hopefully.

"Doctor Abigail Finn doesn't give up." Donnie replied. "If she doesn't find what she's looking for out there, she'll come looking _in here_." He gestured the house. "She's obsessed with monster hunting!"

Master Splinter cleared his throat. "Those who become obsessed are often their own worst enemy."

* * *

Mikey, Donnie and I hid behind some bushes, watching Abigail Finn and Parker set up a table. Parker went on top of the trailer, fixing some wiring on top of it. Meanwhile, Abigail was tightening screws on the Sorti cameras on the table.

"The Green Man is close Parker, I can sense it! My ticket to the big time! The scientific community will no longer be able to laugh behind my back and our little cable access show will finally be able to get a network deal!" She said excitedly as her grip on one of the Sortis was so tight, that she dented the metal with her fingers.

"Uh… Right." She threw the mutilated Sorti behind her. "Parker! How does the chiro containment chamber check out?"

Parker gave her a thumbs up. "Aces doc." He clicked on a button on the top of the trailer.

The back of the trailer had a door that opened down. Revealing another pair of doors with bars. A cage. The pair of doors opened, releasing smoke.

"Excellent. Then I'll send out the Sorti cams." Abigailclicked a button on what looked like a small GPS. The Sorti cams on the table flew up and away from her. "Go my little Sortis. Parker! Man the console!" She grabbed the confederation blaster that was strapped to her back.

"Let the hunt begin!" She cried, chasing after the Sortis.

We watched as Parker got back into the van. I grabbed a stick and jammed it into the handle so Parker couldn't come back outside as Mikey stepped into the trailer.

"Now if I were a video tape, where would I be?" He scratched the back of his head.

Donnie and I ran to the entrance of the trailer. "Mikey get out of there!" Donnie whispered loudly, climbing inside to pull Mikey by the arm. "For all we know this could be a…"

Buzzers sounded and the doors shut behind Donne and Mikey, locking.

"... Trap." Donnie finished.

I ran to the doors, grasping the bars at the top and pulling on them. "Shit!"

Smoke started to fill the trailer. "Um… Oops." Mikey muttered.

It was extremely cold smoke. "Is it getting really cold in here, or is it just me?" Mikey asked frantically after a few moments.

"It's liquid nitrogen! Instant deep freeze!" I shouted, looking for some kind of handle or button on the outside of the doors.

"Hey! I'm a turtle! I'm already cold blooded." Mikey shouted back.

"You'll be ice blooded if we don't get out of here!" Donnie exclaimed, rubbing his arms.

Both him and Mikey started for the door, banging and kicking it.

"Finding anything Jade?" Donnie's voice was shattering.

I looked back through the bars. "There's nothing!" My eyes were wide.

"We've got 15 seconds before we become turtle-sicles!" Donnie cried.

Mikey fell to his knees. "My butt is getting freezer burned!

I looked at the two liquid nitrogen tanks on the inside of the chamber by the door. "Donnie! See if you can pry one of those off and aim it for the door!"

Donnie glanced over at it. "Genius."

He took his bo staff and put it between the tank and the wall, pulling it off and dropping it next to the door. It instantly became a wall of ice.

"M-Mikey… Now! The d-door!" Donnie shouted.

I stepped back as they both jumped and kicked the door open. Ice shattered everywhere. Mikey put his hands up to his head. "B-b-brain freeze!" He stammered.

I started back toward the farmhouse. "Go to the house!" I shouted. Both Donnie and Mikey sprinted away, leaving me behind. I stood behind a tree just as Abigail came into view with the Sortis behind her, yelling angrily when she saw the containment chamber open. I smirked to myself before silently turning around and running for the farmhouse.

I walked through the front door where Mikey and Donnie were already wrapped in big comforters, feet away from the burning fireplace.

Casey was standing next to them. "I can't believe you two bozos walked right into a trap."

I flopped down on the couch next to Master Splinter. "I believe it." Both of us said at the same time.

"All I know is that it's a good thing the Green Mans not real." Donnie said. "If that Doctor Finn ever got her hands him... Sheesh!"

"Hey that's it!" Mikey stood up quickly. "Little miss monster hunter is still out there hunting the Green Man right? Well, we'll give her some!"

I scrunched my eyebrows. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

Mikey grinned. "I have a plan."

* * *

"Mikey this is your plan?" Donnie asked.

"Ya Mikey, these leaves itch!" Casey complained.

Mikey's 'plan' was to have Donnie, Casey and put skintight suits on and splatter mud on top and then plaster leaves and branches all over. Sort of, but not really a Green Man. My job was to take out the Sortis and then grab the video tape of Mikey from the van.

"Come on, you look great!" Mikey led Donnie and Casey to a small clearing.

Donnie and I had old walkie talkies that April had found in the garage. It would have been better to have Donnie's small earpiece headsets but his duffel bag was back at the lair. So we had to keep the volume down and only use them when we needed them.

I left them in the clearing to find Abigail. She wasn't far off. She was looking at the GPS in her hand with two Sortis flying above her with a headset on.

"Parker! The Sortis have a signal... No two... Three signals!" She cried happily. "Is the containment chamber repaired?"

_"Quick freeze is down doc, but containment is good to go." _

Abigail picked up the confederation blaster at her feet. "We'll herd them to you." She said. Running off in the direction the Sortis were bringing her.

I was hiding behind a tree in the shadows. I held up the walkie to mouth. "She's coming. 20 seconds."

_"Right." _

I followed her silently. It was trickier in the snow but Splinters stealth training taught me well. I caught up to Abigail who was leaning over a footprint that Mikey had made to lead her on. Pretty soon, she stood up and walked into the clearing. Her blaster at the ready. I pulled out two shurikens from my belt, getting ready to throw them at the Sortis.

The bushes started to move as Mikey and Donnie made animal noises as they jumped out of the bushes with their arms raised. Casey was in a tree. He jumped down behind Abigail.

"Gongola! Gongola!"

_Really Casey? _

Abigail pointed her gun at Casey and fired. A big red net soon was wrapped around Casey. He struggled to pull it off.

Abigail cheered. "I've got one! Parker! Alert the media! I want a press conference at dawn. By then I'll have the other two."

"_Copy that doc."_

Abigail turned to around to find a log being thrown at her by Mikey. She dodged it just in time as it hit a tree behind her, Abigail then pressed a button on her GPS that had the Sortis start following Donnie.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Donnie muttered loudly as he began running in the opposite direction with Sortis behind him. They started blasting... Electricity. Like tasers. And they were very strong. Donnie screamed in pain.

I aimed both of my shurikens at the Sortis and threw. Both were a perfect hit. The Sortis dropped to the ground, shuttering before completely shutting down. I ran over and pulled the knives out of the Sortis.

Donnie was heaving on the ground. He looked up at me and smiled through painful gritted teeth. "Thanks sis."

I was about to answer until I heard a click behind me. Abigail was standing with her blaster aimed at Donnie and I.

"I knew you were hiding something girl! Stand aside so I can capture this incredible specimen!" She yelled at me, staring at Donnie still in his leaf and mud disguise.

I shook my head, standing front of Donnie and using my body as a shield. He was still panting on the ground from the Sortis. "No Abigail."

Abigail flicked a switch on her blaster. "Don't make me do this. I'll make you move."

The switch was to change settings. I'm guessing it wouldn't be a net that would be shot out of that gun if she pulled the trigger. Abigail spoke into her headset.

"Parker. Send more Sortis!"

_"On the way doc."_

I didn't have much time. I put my hand up. "Don't do this. Killing someone wouldn't be worth getting this guy."

"I _need _him." She countered, taking a step forward.

"For what? Science? They would lose their own freedom and would become test subjects in some horrible lab." I said, trying to be reasonable. _And I would know what that feels like. _

Abigail didn't answer. She curled her lip with her finger tightening on the trigger. I could feel Donnie shuffle slightly behind me.

"Jade." He whispered, loud enough for only me to hear. "No."

There was no way we were getting out of this without either getting shot. I glanced at my hand that I had raised. _Maybe..._

I concentrated on the gun Abigail was holding and slowly closed my fist. It started to dent itself. Like someone had grasped it and left hand marks indented on it. Both Abigail and Donnie gasped. My head started to pound as I flicked my hand to the side. The gun freed itself from Abigails grip and slammed into a tree.

"What... What the hell?" She stuttered, backing up.

Donnie stood up and made a growling animal sound, taking a few steps forward. Abigail screamed and took off in the opposite direction. He quickly took off his disguise and walked over to the gun, inspecting the deep dents on it.

"That's incredible! You punctured it so much that it probably wouldn't be fully functional, even to shoot!" He reported, a little excitedly.

"Jade?" He asked when I didn't answer.

I didn't hear what else he said. My head throbbed. I fell to my knees, holding my hands to my temples.

"Jade!" His voice was filled with worry as he raced to my side, grasping my shoulders. "Hey! Jade, answer me! What's wrong?"

The pain finally started to subside. I shook my head. "I don't know. Maybe I'm not used to these powers or whatever the hell they are yet."

He lifted my chin up. "I bet. There must have been too much pressure because your nose is bleeding."

I wiped my finger under my nostrils and sure enough, there was blood dripping out of it.

"I'm okay." I said, wiping the blood.

"You sure?" He asked still in a worried tone.

I nodded, standing up. "Let's go find Mikey and Casey."

They weren't far off either. They were still over in the clearing where Casey had been shot with the netting. Mikey had also taken off his leaf and mud disguise as well while they were talking something about Caseys animal noises.

There was suddenly a low growl. Mikey looked up.

"Uh... Okay Donnie. Jade. Knock it off you two."

Donnie and I entered the clearing. "That wasn't us." I said.

Both Mikey and Casey's eyes went wide and they took a few quick steps backward. Mikey pointed behind us.

"Guys... Right behind you."

We both slowly turned around to find a huge furry, green animal walking on all fours a few feet behind us. It roared when it saw mine and my brothers face. Both Donnie and I screamed and fell backwards.

"The Green Man? He's real?" Donnie gulped in disbelief.

The Green Man walked toward us, making low rumbles and... Sniffing. He was sniffing his nose frantically. We walked over to Donnie and I, where we had quickly scrambled to our feet. Donnie stood protectively in front of me. I held his hands from behind him as we both stood incredibly still, staring at the huge animal. The Green Man sniffed us and growled a little, then walked past us, heading toward Mikey who let out a lot a big gulp.

The Green Man sniffed Mikey's face and them moved its small head to down Mikey's body and stopped at his hips. He sniffed more. Mikey smiled a little.

"Oh you like pistachios?" He pulled out a small bag of nuts from his belt that held his nunchucks. "Here ya go."

The Green Man made a low purring sound and started eating out of the bag. Mikey put his hand on the Green Mans head and started scratching and petting it like a cat.

"What a good Green Man you are... Yes, what a good green monster!" Mikey grinned and looked at Donnie, Casey and I. "Can we keep him?"

We relaxed a little. I let go of Donnie's hands and watched as the big animal ate from the bag. I smiled a little until it started to throw a fit. It stood up onto legs and banged its chest like a gorilla, roaring.

Donnie pointed at the Sortis that had flown overhead. "They're frightening him!"

The Sortis began zapping the big animal. The Green Man went back on all fours and started running.

"Shit! They're leading him to the containment chamber!" I yelled, tearing off after the animal.

Donnie, Mikey and Casey were right behind me as we stopped behind bushes, in front of the containment chamber. We couldn't go in the open with Parker there. At least... My brothers and Casey couldn't. Casey was still in his disguise. We watched in horror as the Sortis zapped the Green Man into the trailer, the doors shutting behind him.

"No..." Mikey breathed.

I stepped out of the bushes. Abigail still wasn't back. She must have gone back to find Casey who would have been caught in the net she shot. It gave me some time. But not a lot.

"Casey, you go into the chamber and be the Green Man when the reporters get here. You'll make her look bad. I'll open the door and Donnie, you get the video tape." I said quickly, not giving them time to answer.

I ran to the door of the trailer. Searching the door.

_There has go to be some kind of button I must have missed when Donnie and Mikey were in here. _

Then I remembered moments before Donnie and Mikey had been trapped in the containment chamber. Parker had been up on top of the trailer and pressed a button that opened the doors. Weird place to put a button but it was up there. I jumped and grabbed the top ledge of the trailer. Swinging my legs, I flipped onto the top of the trailer. Sure enough there was a big orange button. I pressed it and the doors opened. Mikey jumped out to lead the Green Man away as Casey took his spot in the chamber. The doors shut again as Casey entered. Just as the doors shut, Parker climbed out of the van to secure the chamber. Donnie slipped inside the van and grabbed the tape.

As Parker went back into the van, I met Donnie and Mikey back in the woods.

"How's our green friend?" I asked, looking around.

Donnie pointed. "He's great! In fact, the Green Man isn't even a male. He's a female. A mother."

The Green Man was standing over two identical animals that looked exactly like it, only smaller. Like kids. It was pretty cute, not going to lie. I turned back to Donnie and Mikey.

"Let's leave Casey to embarrassing Abigail Finn. I'm starving!"

They both agreed. We started for the farmhouse. As we walked, Donnie grabbed my shoulder and squeezed it.

"That was a pretty neat plan you had back there." He said, his voice filled with pride.

Mikey nodded. "Ya dude, you would make good leader!"

"Ya well, we already have a leader. And he's a hell of a lot better than any of us would be." I chuckled.

* * *

We all sat on the porch, watching Mikey burn the video tape.

"So when you have rules about keeping a low profile next time, are you actually going to follow them?" I asked Mikey, smirkingly.

Mikey shrugged. "Well..."

Master Splinter cut him off. "I should hope so Michelangelo." His eyebrows raised.

Mikey blushed a little from embarrassment. "Oh right. Of course Sensei."

Casey came up to us laughing. "They're gonna be making fun of Doctor Abigail Finn for months!"

Raph came around the corner of the house with Leo. Leo was holding a pair of new katanas.

"Shit you guys! Maybe you _should _be blacksmiths when you retire." I said in awe as Leo let me examine the blade of one of the katanas.

They both laughed. "Not gonna happen, but thanks for the suggestion." Raph smirked.

Leo looked around at all of us on the porch. "I think it's time we went back to New York. To finish what the Shredder started."

We all nodded. "We're with you Leo."

* * *

The next few hours back to New York were as brutal as when we came up to the farmhouse. It was extremely cold because it was of course, December. In the trailer. I shared a blanket with Donnie again and We both decided to tell the our brothers and Splinter what happened with Abigail's gun.

"... And I just flicked my hand to the side. The gun flew out of her hands and hit a tree." I finished.

"So it kinda like what happened at Stockmans with the machines that were shootin' at us?" Raph asked.

I nodded. "Exactly."

"So... We know you can control and like move electronics. You can bring people back from the dead. You can..." Mikey started to count on his three fingered hand.

"You're faster than humans should be and you have an incredible human structure. Considering your bones don't break or even get sprain if you jumped down from a four foot building." Donnie added. "As we've covered before."

"And ya heal pretty quickly. I mean, your shoulder and hand already look like big scars." Raph said.

"I want to know how I ended up like this." I muttered.

"You don't like it?" I'd be cool with having a bunch of cool super powers!" Mikey exclaimed, his fist in the air.

"I know I appreciate them." Leo said, a thankful smile on his face.

I returned the small smile back. "I like them I guess. But I want to know how I got them. Why, when, where I got them, who did it to me."

Master Splinter held up his hand slightly. "I believe that you already know who gave them to you and when." He said softly.

I thought about it. _Of course. _

"Stockman. Oroku Saki. I remember the experiments when I just a little girl. Before you found me in the sewers."

He nodded. "The warehouse you described that they held you in was where it may have happened as well."

"They are so gonna pay for what they did to you. We all know they did more than experiments." Raph growled.

_My scars. _

"There's still so much I don't know though." I muttered.

"I have a feeling we will be finding out sooner rather than later." Leo mumbled.

We all say in a comfortable silence the rest of the way home. I fell asleep with my arms tightly wrapped around Donnie's arm and my head against his shoulder.


	6. Infiltration: Part 1

**Chapter 6: Infiltration: Part 1**

* * *

Donnie pulled the lever that was disguised as a pipe. The brick wall opened up and revealed the inside of the lair.

Home.

"I told you the Foot wouldn't find this place!" Donnie exclaimed proudly, sitting himself in front of the half dozen of computers set up on the other side of the living room.

Mikey cheered and raced downstairs toward the kitchen. He pulled out several bags of chips and cookies. "Thank god! I don't know what I would do without my babies!" He began to kiss the bags.

Casey gave him the most weirded out look imaginable.

Mikey set the bags on the counter and opened up the fridge. Grabbing a jug of milk, he began to chug it.

"Mikey... Isn't that milk like super old?" I asked, watching more of the milk spill down his cheeks than actually getting into his mouth.

It was like a lightbulb went off over Mikey's head. He stopped chugging. "That explains all the chunks!" He started gagging, spitting out the milk in the sink.

Casey and I both exchanged a disgusted look. "Gross." We muttered.

Raph opened the door of the dojo. I was guessing that he was making sure his punching bag was still untouched. He slid the door back, closing it. "I don't get it. The last time we were down here, there were Foot goons searching for us. Why would Shredder send them all home?"

"Well… We're supposed to be dead. I mean, April's apartment blew up and we _supposedly _blew up with it. They probably think there is no left to search for." I answered.

Raph tilted his head. "You know, being dead could have it's advantages."

"Ya…" Leo put his fist to his chin. "It might just give us the element of surprise."

Mikey was crunching potato chips. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

Donnie spun the chair he sat on and pointed questioningly at both Leo and Raph. "I think he's thinking what you think he's thinking."

Raph looked over at Mikey. "If he's thinking what I'm thinking, then I'm thinking we shouldn't just be thinking." He glanced at the dumbfounded Casey. "What are you thinking?"

Casey shrugged, pretending he understood what the hell everyone had just said. "Uh.."

I flopped on the couch. "Good god, make it stop!" I moaned.

Master Splinter stood the foot of the stairs. "I agree with Jade. Shredder believes we have vanquished at the explosion at Aprils. Thus leaving them vulnerable to a surprise attack." He said to Casey.

He _finally _understood.

Leo scrunched his forehead. His strategic look was showing. "If we're going to do this. We need to find out everything we can about Foot headquarters."

"Ok but where the hell is Foot headquarters?" I asked. "It used to be Oroku Sakis dojo but that's kinda gone, remember?"

"I bet that Stocktronics is the headquarters now. Or that it always was a headquarters. I mean, it has the Foot symbol on it." Donnie gave me a 'duh' look with raised eyebrows.

"Oh. Right."

Donnie turned back to the computer screens. "But I'm not sure that I could hack into the security system. It was designed by Baxter Stockman himself!"

April leaned over his shoulder. "Too bad you don't know anyone who used to work for Baxter Stockman."

Donnie stopped typing and grinned. He instantly got off the chair and twirled it for April to take. She cracked her knuckles and started typing at lightning speed. As she typed, I started to zone out. My gaze was caught by the Sword of Tengu that was still lying on a table by the dojo. Master Splinter noticed it, as he always notices small details.

"My daughter, I think the time has come to return the sword to it's former owner."

Raph walked over to the sword. "Now you're talking!" He grabbed for the handle of the sword, only to be electrocuted. Raph jumped back and glanced at me. "Uh... Maybe you should handle the sword, since you're the only one here who can touch it."

I took a deep breath and got up off the couch, walking over to the sword. I lifted my hand and slowly grasped the handle of the sword. I could feel the electricity running through the handle of it. I could feel the electricity in my palm and in every finger. I could even feel it running in arm. I felt connected to that sword. I don't know how, considering I'm the only one who can even lay a finger on it. I wondered if Oroku Saki could even touch it bare handed, hard to say.

Leo came up behind and frowned at the sword. I glanced over my shoulder at him.

"So what's troubling you Leo?"

He flinched a little, looking down at the ground. "I was just remember the last time I tangled with the Shredder and his elite guards. I don't want to everyone down again. I don't want to let my brothers, my father and you down. I would never forgive myself."

I carefully laid the sword back into the table before turning around.

"You have never once let your family down Leonardo. You and I both know that no one can take on the Shredder and his army alone like you were forced to. That's why we're with you. We always have your back. Don't forget that." I smiled reassuringly, putting hand on his arm, giving it a small squeeze.

Leo let out a sigh and nodded his head slightly. "Thanks Jade."

"We're in! We're in!" Donnie cheered from across the room.

We all walked over to the computers. One of the screens had a digital picture of Foot headquarters, showing every level of the building. April pointed to the other screens, filled with encryption codes of what would look like random numbers and letters piled into one big sentence to anyone who can't hack.

"We had to use three different dictionary attack method programs to crack the encryption algorithm."

Donnie nodded vigorously. "Then it was just a matter of creating a dummy account and installing a remote access Trojan Horse."

April and him gave each other a high five.

"Thrilling." Mikey muttered sarcastically.

Leo crossed his arms. "So can you get us inside?"

"Never mind that, can you get us to Shredder?" Raph growled.

April nodded. "Getting inside is easy." She pointed to the top level of Foot headquarters on the screen. "Getting to Shredder... Difficult but doable."

Donnie slid his finger along the screen. "What concerns me is everything inbetween."

Raph punched his fist into his palm. "Bring it on."

April turned to us. "I can coordinate the computer systems from this end."

Leo nodded approvingly. "Great. Casey you stay here and protect April. Just in Casey."

Casey looked extremely disappointed not to be joining us in this mission.

Leo put his hand out. As did the rest of us. "We're going to be a five turtle wrecking crew!"

Master Splinter out his paw in the pile of hands. "Six."

"Even though Jade and Sensei aren't turtles... So we can't be a six turtle wrecking crew... We could be the-" Mikey started but was cut off when Raph slapped the back of his head.

Donnie set off to grab his duffel bag while Raph, Mikey and Leo and April began to create a plan on how to infiltrate Foot headquarters. Master Splinter pulled me to the side and waved me to his room.

"Come with me my daughter. There is something I must give you."

I followed him and entered his room, which still had the heavy musk of the Japanese Cherry Blossoms and Evergreen Tree incense lingering. Although, Splinters room looked quite different without the dozens of candles lit. Splinter walked to the back wall of the room where a dresser was. The dresser didn't hold clothes though, it held weapons. Master Splinter pulled out a beautiful twin pair of wakizashis and laid them in my hands.

I gasped. These were absolutely breathtaking. All black, even the blade with the exceptions of the handle. Which was engraved with red Japanese about courage, bravery and trust. They were both as deadly as any weapon would be but they would be extremely fatal to anyone who came into contact with them while I wielded them. I could assure that.

"I... Thank you Sensei. I really can't..." Master Splinter cut me off by placing his paw on my shoulder.

"My daughter, the next few hours will be important to all of us. But none more important than to you. You may just be discovering who you were, where you came from and the origin of your powers. This mission will be most dangerous for you."

I understood completely. Although no one can be sure why Oroku Saki allowed me to explode along with April's apartment, we all knew when he finds out that I'm still alive. He will want to get me more than anything.

"Whatever happens my dear, I am proud to have been your father." Master Splinter gave me a small smile. He looked like he was close to tears.

Now that... I didn't quite understand. _I am proud to have been your father. _I know he isn't my real father. Hell, he isn't even the turtles real father. But he has been the father figure for all if us. He raised us. We don't need an adoption certificate to prove that he has been our father. _That's it. _Splinter is afraid that if I find out the origin of my powers and where I came from and who I am that I would _leave him. _That I might return to my real parents if I ever found them.

I set my new wakizashis on the ground next to my feet and took Splinters paw off my shoulder, putting it into my hands. "Whatever happens, _father, _I will always be your little girl. I wouldn't trade this family for any family. From the day you found me, to now and for the rest of my life, I will never leave you guys."

Master Splinter let one tear roll down his cheek. His smile said more than a million words could have. He squeezed my hand just as Leo knocked on the door.

"We're ready to go."

* * *

Since we were "dead", Donnie decided to use the Battleshell as a decoy. A distraction for us to get inside easier. I don't know what it is with us and ventilation shafts, but they always seem to do the trick. Raph opened the door over the vent and climbed out into a small room filled with shafts and pipes in the basement of Stocktronics, aka Foot Headquarters. The distraction was a success according to Donnie, although part of the decoy was to have the truck explode. He hugged the remote of the Battleshell close to his plastron. He built that truck all by himself, it was probably one of his greatest creations ever.

Raph looked over his shoulder at Donnie. "Nice remote control work there slick."

Mikey laughed, climbing out of the vent. "Ya! And they say hours and hours of video games are bad for ya."

"Poor Battleshell, I really loved that oversized gas guzzler."

Leo patted Donnie's shoulder reassuringly. "And I'm sure you'll love the next one even more, but right now, let's stick to the plan."

After we had filed out of the ventilation system, Donnie put on a headset. April was on the other end.

"April. Stage one complete."

I could hear her voice through the headset. "_Roger that Don. Uploading worm program… Now."_

"What is April doing exactly?" Mikey asked, looking at me in confusion.

"She's whipping up a virus that will clog this place's communication network." I replied.

Mikey slid his hand over the back of his head, still with a confused look on his face. "But why is called a worm program?"

Raph smacked Mikey's arm. "Don't worry about it lame brain."

We made our way up a flight of stairs and into a long corridor. Donnie pointed to a door that was a few feet to our right. "Security room is there."

"_Foot com system is down. What's next?"_

Donnie kneeled next to a panel of buttons. A code to get into the security room. "April, I'm having trouble getting in. Can you dig up a access code?"

"_Ya, but it's going to be tricky. They change the codes hourly."_

Raph cracked his knuckles. "Allow me."

He backed up a few steps before jumping in the air and kicking the door down. Mikey shrugged.

"Noisy, but effective."

We filed into the room and pulled out our weapons. As did the dozens of Foot ninjas in the security room. An easy fight.

"Now that's a lot of ninjas!" Mikey exclaimed, looking excited. "So are we gonna do this with banter or without?"

The Foot ninja charged. I looked over at Mikey and smirked with him. "Definitely without!"

This fight wasn't much of a challenge. We were all making more of a game even if this was a serious mission. I could hear Mikey taunting a Foot ninja wielding a Manriki-gusari. Basically a metal chain with two weights on each end. Mikey kept dodging the chain as it was whipped toward him. Every time it missed, Mikey would laugh. Even Splinter seemed to be enjoying the fight. Foot surrounded him but he easily avoided every swing that came his way.

Donnie was up by the wall of computers. He sat on a chair at one of the desks. "April! I'm hooking up. Prepare to download remote access codes!" He pulled out a hard drive from his duffel bag, sticking it into the computer.

I didn't hear what April said and quite frankly, I really didn't care at this moment. Mikey had pushed a wheeled chair down the room. Raph stopped the chair and threw a Foot ninja on it, pushing the chair with his foot.

"Uptown express! Coming through!"

The Foot ninja on the chair yelled as the chair slid through the room. Master Splinter jumped on the back of the chair and knocked out two other ninjas in the chairs path before jumping off and watching the chair crash on the wall of the far side of the room. Raph slid his sais back into his belt, smiling.

"That was refreshing."

"No doubt more will be on the way." Master Splinter gave back.

Donnie walked past us. "April, we need another way out!"

"_Main ventilation shaft. Duct is located in the northwest corner of the room."_

Donnie found the rather big entrance to the vent. "Got it." He kicked the door and climbed through. The rest of us following.

The vent led us to what looked like a mix between the inside of warehouse and a big garage. It held many vehicles, weapons and hovercrafts. Donnie whistled at one of the hovercrafts, putting his hands on his hips.

"It's like I died and went to techno geek heaven."

Raph walked over to a tank on the far end of the room. "Woah. A turtle could kick some serious ass with this stuff."

Mikey pulled a AK-47 out a crate. It was silver and blue, decked out with plenty of attachments. It was a beauty. But then again, Mikey was holding it.

"What do you think this one does?" Mikey asked, pointing the nozzle toward his face.

I took a step toward him. "Mikey! Wait don't pull the…"

Mikey pulled the trigger. It released black smoke that surrounded him. He began coughing. What kind of gun releases smoke? It actually looked like dust but nonetheless.

_Idiot. _I breathed a sigh of relief as the smoke started to disappear. Leo pulled Mikey by the shell. "That answer your question lame brain?"

Master Splinter rolled his eyes and started walking for the door on the far aside of the room. "Come. We must keep on the move."

Mikey threw the gun to the side. We all followed Master Splinter. Except for me. I took a few steps but I stopped short. Something isn't right here. I felt like someone was watching us. I looked around the room, I didn't see anyone.

_Maybe it's just me._

"Coming Jade?" Leo asked over his shoulder.

I nodded and took a few more steps after them but stopped again.

_No. Someone is here._

"Jade. Get a move on we don't have all day!" Raph said impatiently.

Master Splinter caught my wandering eyes. "Do you sense it as well?"

I nodded. My brothers looked at us in confusion, scrunching their foreheads and eyebrows together.

"What is it?" Leo asked.

"We sense a presence." Master Splinter whispered, sniffing the air.

The turtle brothers looked around the room. "No one here but us." Mikey stated.

"No Mikey. There is definitely someone here. We just can't see them." I gave back.

"Foot tech ninjas!" Donnie exclaimed.

I remember when we first found the Sword of Tengu. We ran into some nasty Foot ninjas that wore special suits, letting themselves become invisible. Incredible technology but no fun to fight with considering sight was one of our best senses in a battle.

Raph was the first to be hit. He fell back onto his shell and rubbed his chin. Pretty soon we were all being punched and kicked by invisible fists and feet. We were all frustrated by these particular ninjas. These ones even taunted us by snickering every time we fell back. Master Splinter yelled for us to spread out.

I back away. In the confusion of being in the middle of the crowd of my brothers and father, i was an easy target. Maybe if I concentrated, I could use my senses other than sight to take these Foot ninjas down.

I could feel the presence of one on the ninjas in front of me. But I wasn't sure exactly where in front of me. I took a hit in the shoulder but with a fast reaction, I grabbed the Foot tech ninjas wrist. Flinging him over my shoulder into a big armored truck behind me. His invisibility suit flickered off, revealing himself. The ninja panicked as he started jabbing a button on the front of his suit with Foot symbol on it. His invisibility suit started to flicker and began making him unseen. I reacted and pulled out a shruiken and flung it at the button. It made its mark, along with plunging itself through the ninjas hand as well. He screamed in pain as he was revealed fully again. I walked over to him and pulled the shruiken, smirking.

"Nighty night ninja." I whispered before winding back and punching him in the skull, knocking him out cold.

I turned around where my brothers and father were still having trouble with the other Foot tech ninjas. It wasn't very many. I couldn't feel more than a couple presences, but I had to be sure. Donnie, Leo and Mikey were to my left. Each other them were getting hit one at a time. A couple seconds were stalled before a hit was taken. Same goes with Raph and Splinter. That means there was only two left. Not so bad. But we couldn't see them.

Raph had gotten on a hovercraft, spinning in a circle and firing the attached guns at random, somehow managing to create a giant hole in the ceiling on the far side of the room. He was extremely good at making a bigger mess then we should be making.

Then I noticed the AK-47 that Mikey had used earlier that oddly spewed dust and smoke instead of firing bullets. I ran over and picked it up off the floor, aiming for where my family were. The smoke surrounded them. Blinding all of them, causing them to go into fits of coughing. But I could see the outline of the Foot tech ninjas as the smoke settled around them.

I pulled out two shruikens and threw them, hitting the buttons of the ninjas invisibility buttons. Their clocking devices immediately revealed both of them as they screamed in pain from the embedded knives in their chests. It only took a couple seconds for them to fall to the ground.

"Quick thinking there Jay." Leo patted me on the back.

I smiled. "Thanks." I pulled out the shruikens. There was a little blood on each blade. I slid them across my black pants, wiping them off a little.

"So where do we go to now?" Mikey asked.

Leo pointed to the hole in the ceiling that Raph had created with the hovercraft. "Up."

Using a lift that was right underneath the hole, we climbed up into a new room. It looked like a lab. Containers filled with a green liquid were in the middle of the room. I walked up to them. There were… people floating in the containers. Three of them that actually looked like the Shredder but different versions. One was extremely tall and thin. But had four arms. Another looked had one of it's hand replaced by an enormous claw. Almost like a elephant tusk. And the last Shredder duplicate was short. Like a midget.

"What is this place?" Master Splinter asked, mostly to himself.

Donnie spoke into his headset. "April. Check the building schematics, see if you can tell us where we are."

There was a short pause. "_All I can tell is that you're on the 33rd floor. It won't display any other information!"_

Raph walked up beside me with his hands on his hips. "This looks kinda familiar." I gestured toward the green filled containers. "This is a Foot genetics lab."

Leo gave me a worried glance. "How could this be familiar to you?"

I didn't look at him. I kept my gaze on the containers. "Do I really need to answer that?"

Before he could reply, alarms went off. Mikey looked at all of us frantically. "I didn't touch anything! Honest!"

The containers in front of me opened up, releasing the green liquid.

_And the people inside. _

The three Shredders fell out of the containers, roaring.

"What are those things?" Mikey yelled in a panicked voice.

"I'm guessing they're the Shredders genetic clones." Donnie replied, keeping his terrified eyes on the approaching genetic Shredders.

"Got anything in your bag of tricks for this Donnie?" Raph asked.

Donnie didn't reply. The genetic Shredders attacked. Leo and I were stuck fighting off the tiny version of Shredder. He was extremely fast. I wasn't fighting for long until Mikey was thrown my way. His shell hit mt in the stomach and we both flying into the empty containers. I could feel the glass behind me shatter.

"Jade!" Mikey yelled. He quickly got up and helped my to my feet. Blood ran down arm. I felt a little woozy, more from the impact of Mikey's shell than the containers.

"I'm okay Mikey." I whispered, gaining my breath back.

"April! Find us a way out of here! A fire escape! An elevator! Anything!" Donnie was yelling into his headset, backing up from the tall, four armed genetic Shredder. He backed up all the way to the hole that we had climbed through earlier from the fight with the three Foot tech ninjas. Donnie barely caught himself from falling over the edge. His headset fell off his head and fell to the ground below.

He was caught off guard as the four armed Shredder picked him and started to squeeze him in his arms. Donnie yelled in pain. I threw a shruiken at the four armed Shredder in the back, he dropped Donnie. Leo, Raph and Master Splinter managed to electrocute the the other two genetic Shredder clones somehow, then helped to knock out the last one.

Donnie went into his bag and pulled out _another _headset. "April. What did you find?"

"_Private elevator. Hidden behind a secret panel. I'm also showing wiring leading to a control button under one of the lab tables in your vicinity."_

Donnie ran over to the lab tables by the empty containers. He reached underneath them. "Got it."

The wall on the far side of the room slid open. Revealing the elevator. Although, after we piled in, the elevator ride wasn't very long. It stopped, opening up to a long hallway. The door on the other side of the corridor had the Foot symbol on it.

"April we need the 411 on our current location."

"_Did you see a floor number?"_

Donnie looked over at me since I was still in the elevator. I looked over at all the buttons.

"Seventy two."

Donnie repeated.

"_Hmm… That's weird. There's a glitch in the schematic between the seventy first and the seventy third floor. Let me run a quick diagnostic."_

I didn't know what it was, but this hallway had more than meets the eyes. Master Splinter looked at me right away.

"What do you sense?"

I didn't answer at first. I just kept looking around the hallway. But I think I knew exactly what to expect. I glanced at Master Splinter. "Traps."

He nodded approvingly. "That is what I sense as well."

"April, can you at least find us a way up? A stairwell or something?"

"_Nada. Afraid you guys are on your own this time."_

Master Splinter looked back at us over his shoulder. "We must proceed with caution!" He started forward, jumping from wall to wall until he reached the other end. Donnie and I followed without hesitation, repeating what Splinter had just done.

I turned around to watch Raph mutter something. Leo held out his hand and yelled "Wait, Raph!"

He was about to do something incredibly stupid.

Raph just ran down the middle of the hallway. Ultimately setting off every trap in the hallway, from giant saws and axes swinging from the ceiling to a pit of spikes that opened up in the floor. Raph barely made it. He looked back at the traps he had just avoided and chuckled to himself but his smile faded when he looked back at Splinter, Donnie and I glaring at him with our arms crossed.

"Raphael. Your rashness will be the end of you yet!" Splinter scolded.

Raph held up his hands. "Hey, I made it didn't I?"

Donnie rolled his eyes. "What about Leo and Mikey?"

We watched Mikey goof off as he avoided the swings of the saws. Master Splinters ears went down as Mikey's jokes and games almost caused him to lose an arm from an axe that swung down from the ceiling. Leo came up behind Mikey moments later and swatted him across the back of his head.

"No more fooling around Mikey! Not today!"

Leo walked through us and to the big set of doors behind us. He let out a deep breath and pushed the doors open, revealing a type of shrine or a temple of some sort. An elemental temple. There were five stone figures on their own pillars, each had a symbol on their pillar. Master Splinter let his hand slide over one of the symbols.

"These each represent one of the five elements." He started to point to each of the pillars. "Earth, fire, water, wind and metal."

After he finished listing off the elements, I saw one of the figurines move. I pointed up at fire. "Look!"

Fire had turned from stone to flesh. He wore red robes and held a staff with fire flaming from the too. The other stone figures came to life as well. They jumped off their pillars and surrounded us and attacked. I got stuck fighting with Fire.

Fire created flame balls with his hands, throwing them at me. I could feel my flesh sizzle a little whenever one came too close to my skin as I tried avoiding them. This wasn't going to end well if I didn't think of something soon. I glanced around at the others. Nobody was doing any better than I was.

_How do you fight the five elements with nothing but sad, metal and wooden weapons? _

Then I remembered that I was the one who had no mere metal weapon on my back. I quickly slid my wakizashis away and slid the Sword of Tengu out of its sheth.

I yelled to no one in particular. "Get away from the temple!"

Master Splinter gave me a glance that was both curious and proud.

"I think the into way to conquer a mystic enemy is to fight with a mystic weapon." I growled, holding the Sword of Tengu in my hands.

I looked over at Leo. "Get everyone away from the temple." I repeated.

Leo didn't say anything, only nodding and hurrying over to his brothers and father. All the elements turned on me. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to do this.

_Perhaps I could use the elements against themselves? _

Fire still stood in front of me with Metal behind him. I swung the Sword of Tengu, causing it to release a strong, bright blue force that made Fire become a torch. The heat behind him melted Metal to the ground.

I chuckled to myself. "Science 101. Fire melts Metal." I said aloud.

I jumped over Fire and landed in front of Water, taking another swing with the sword. Fire went out like a candle as soon as Water covered him, extinguished.

"Water quenches Fire." I muttered under my breath.

I took another swing in front of Earth. The dirt and soil that left his body went straight through Water, soaking him up. Literally.

"Earth swallows Water."

As another blue force left the sword, Earth exploded, leaving dirt all over the ground.

"Wind scatters Earth."

Wind was last standing. He looked around at all his fallen comrades. He looked a tad but worried.

"And I'll tame Wind."

I felt a surge of energy run through my arms as the blade of the sword glowed blue. This time I didn't swing, I pointed the sword at Wind. The blue force that shot out of the tip of the sword looked like a giant laser, making its mark right through Wind and he exploded like Earth had. But the explosion was so strong that it brought the temple down.

Right on top of me.

_"JADE!"_


	7. Infiltration: Part 2

**Chapter 7: Infiltration: Part 2**

* * *

_"JADE!" _

_No no no no no... Not again. _

When Jade told me to lead my brothers and father away from the temple, I didn't realize she was going to make it collapse and I hope she didn't do that on purposes. I watched in horror as the bricks and shingles fell on top of her, ultimately crushing her body. Or at least that's what it looked like. I can only hope that somehow she had survived. I won't be able to bear it if she didn't.

I was the first to rush over to the large pile of rubble, moving rocks out of the way. My brothers and Splinter followed my lead, searching different areas of the rubble pile. A million thoughts ran through my head. But the thought that haunted me most was the fact that this is now the second time I have helplessly watched what could be my sisters death. I still have nightmares of the night I watched Jade fall with the Shredders old dojo. The night that April's apartment was burned to the ground. The night I failed my family.

"I found her!" Mikey's worried shriek yelled out after several long minutes of rummaging through debris.

Everyone rushed over. There she was. Her mangled body was underneath a big pile of rocks and part of the roof of the temple. Bringing the muscle, Raph and I helped push off the particle roof piece off of Jade. Donnie and Mikey pulled her body out from under the rocks. Splinter just watched, his ears down and his eyes were filled with worry.

She was pale. And very bloody.

Blood soaked her clothes from various cuts along her arms. The most horrifying wound on her was the blood that ran down from an enormous gash on her forehead.

_No no no no no..._

Donnie put his finger on her neck. Checking for a pulse. He kept readjusting his finger every few seconds. He shook his head, taking her wrist and trying to find a pulse there. After several moments, he looked up at us. Tears streamed down his face. He didn't need to say anything.

Hamato Jade was dead.

I let out a whimper. I slowly kneeled down next to Jades body and gently pulled her into my arms. I let the tears rush out of my eyes as I moved a piece of hair off her bloody face then put my lips to her forehead, closing my eyes.

_How could my dear dear Jade be dead? Why can't she bring herself back like she brought me back?_

Nobody said anything. Mikey began to bawl and shoved his face into Raph's plastron. Raph held his little brother tightly. He too, had silent tears streaming down his face. His gaze rested on Jade. Donnie still clung onto Jades hand, he held it up to forehead and wept. Splinter kneeled down next to me and put a hand on Jades bloody forehead.

"Oh my dear..." He mumbled, his eyes filled with his own tears.

We all just sat there. Weeping for our dead sister. Aprils voice sounded from the other side of Donnie's headset, breaking the silence.

_"Don? Don what happened?"_

Donnie couldn't even answer at first. His shoulders quickly heaved up and down as he struggled to let in a breath between his sobs.

"J-Jade... She's... She's d-dead." He stuttered out.

There was silence on the other side of the headset. But I swear I could hear faint sobs. I looked behind Donnie. I could see the glowing blade of the Sword of Tengu from under the rubble Jade had just been under. I gently put Jades body in Donnie's arms. Donnie's duffel bag was lying next to him, I dug in it and grabbed a glove that he had brought just in case anyone other than Jade needed to use the sword. I put it on and grabbed the handle of the sword, sliding it out of the rubble. All I could do was stare at it for several moments.

_I shouldn't be holding this. Jade should. She should be the one wielding this. _

I turned around to my weeping family. "Let's finish this. For Jade." I stated in a dark tone.

They all nodded slowly. "Makes you wonder what's in store for us on the next 20 floors." Donnie muttered, still cradling Jade in his arms.

"We still have 20 floors left to go?" Mikey asked, sniffing.

"If we even make it that far." Raph mumbled, keeping his gaze rested on his sister.

My eyes narrowed. "There's no _if _about it. We will make it to the Shredder." I growled. "Have you forgotten how he forced us from our home? Burned down Aprils building? What he did to Jade not only today, but as well as twelve years ago? Cause I sure haven't. And I'm going to see this through, to the bitter end."

Raph nodded. "We're with you bro. We're in this together."

Donnie used one hand to adjust his headset. "April... Any luck on finding us a stairwell or something?"

_"All I can find is another private elevator on the west side of the building." _

I turned around. The west side of the building. It should be right behind me. But all I can see is a giant tapestry of the five elements. _Wait. _I used one of my katanas to slice the tapestry. Revealing the elevator.

I turned backs to where Donnie was still holding Jade. "We'll come back for her."

Donnie grasped Jade in his arms and walked over to the wall next to the elevator. He gently set her down, leaning her against the brick wall. He held her hand for another brief moment before letting go and walking into elevator. Raph and Mikey also said goodbye to her as well, rubbing her hand, and muttering something to her. Then followed Donnie into the elevator. Master Splinter didn't say anything as he let the tears fall down his cheeks. He shakily grabbed her hand and kissed it. His goodbye wasn't long.

Soon, I was left alone with my dead sister. I slowly kneeled next to her body. I let another tear run down my face as I untied the sheath for the Sword of Tengu from her and tied it to my shell, sheathing the sword. I grabbed Jades cheeks and put her forehead to mine. I closed my eyes and let out another sob.

"I'm so sorry Jade. This is all my fault. I should have protected you. And I failed. I will never be able to forgive myself for this." I whispered.

I kissed her forehead and stood up. Letting myself steal one last glance at my unmoving sister before getting into the elevator. Donnie spoke into his headset again.

"Where does this take us April?" He asked.

_"Straight to the top boys. Straight to the top." _

I looked around at my brothers and at my father. They all still had wet cheeks, as were mine. I put my hand in the middle.

"For Jade." I whispered.

They all put their hands on top of mine.

"For Jade."

_"JADE!"_

* * *

I was helpless as the temple collapsed on top of me. I didn't feel anything. No pain. I couldn't feel the weight of any rubble on top of me. I should be dead.

_Am I dead?_

I can't see anything. It's just black.

Deja vu. Big time. Just like when I brought Leo back.

_10._

Another number. Why is it counting down?

Then it went away and it was silent. I still couldn't feel or see anything. I heard another voice. And I knew it all too well. It was extremely faint.

"... _my fault. I should have protected you. And I failed. I will never be able to forgive myself for this."_

_Leonardo._

But how can I hear his voice?

Suddenly, a deep breath entered my lungs. Not on command, as if it was forced. My eyes snapped open and I heaved as more and more air went through my mouth. I frantically looked around to find myself in the court where I had battled with the five elements. The collapsed temple was beside me and I was leaning against the brick wall that surround the court area.

I was alone.

My family were no where to be seen. As my breaths started to slow down a little, I managed to slowly stand up. My body was soaked in blood. But I wasn't sore. I wasn't in pain. I felt... Refreshed. Considering the fact I was just dead. I turned around, looking at a elevator. My family must have already gone to the next level. Hopefully the next level wasn't another round with Foot tech ninjas or any mystic foes. I walked into the elevator. The doors automatically shut behind me and the elevator moved.

After a few moments, the doors opened again and revealed a short hallway. There was only one set of doors filled with bullet holes, they were already open. Through the doors, it was a disaster. The enormous penthouse room had a giant hole was blown in the wall on the right and there were plenty of dead or unconscious Foot ninja that l were sprawled across the floor. The hole in the wall led to an outside space. I could hear the battle that raged on out there but before I could walk a few steps toward it, there was a loud yell.

Raph flew through the hole and into the penthouse. He landed on his plastron.

"Raph!" I yelled.

Raph's head slowly looked up. When his eyes rested on me, he squinted. Like he didn't recognized me at first.

"Jade?"

I nodded, with a big smile plastered on my face. Raph clumsily got to his feet and rushed over to me, grabbing me around the waist in a tight embrace. My arms wrapped around his neck as I buried my head into his shoulder.

"You were dead Jade... And I didn't do..." He started to mumble.

I cut him off. "Raph stop. It's no ones fault." We broke the embrace. "What have I missed?"

Raph flinched. "Well... Uh... Stockman is here with the Shredder. We've already taken out the Elite ninjas, but Hun and a bunch of other Foot ninjas are what's keeping me, Don, Mikey and Sensei busy..." He stopped.

"And Leo?" I asked, starting to get worried.

"Shredder. He's fighting with him right now." Raph said. He pushed me toward the door. "He's gonna need your help."

I nodded and started for the hole in the wall until Raph gripped my hand.

"Good to have you back kiddo."

I smirked. "Can't let you guys have all the fun now can I?" I gave back.

Raph's signature smirk also came across his face. He let go of my hand and we both raced for the hole in the wall. Mikey, Donnie and Master Splinter were battling a few dozen Foot ninjas at the foot of the stairs that followed the hole. Donnie was the first to see me at the top of the stairs.

"Oh my god... Jade!" He cried happily and in disbelief.

Mikey and Master Splinter looked up at me. They had the biggest grins on their faces. Raph ran down the stairs and started battling with Foot ninjas again.

"Reunion will have to wait boys, but it's good to see you all again." I grinned.

Meanwhile, Leo was the back corner of the big outside balcony. He didn't hear him yell my name. He doesn't know that I'm breathing, yet. They both were angrily shouting at each other. Saki flipped Leo onto his shell, but his head hit the ground. Knocking him out cold. Saki chuckled and muttered something, lifting his sword in the air over Leo's plastron.

"No!" I screamed, pulling out one of my wakizashis. I barely sprinted over in time to block Sakis blade from plunging into Leo. Saki growled, turning to see who Leo's rescuer was. When he saw it was me, he chuckle again.

"So, it really does work." He smirked, his helmet wasn't on his head anymore.

"What works?" I curled my lip as I slowly stood in front of Leo, protecting him from any fatal blows.

Saki backed up a couple steps. "I was informed that you hadn't made it past the elemental guards. But here you, living again. It's amazing isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm back. What do you of it?" My hand gripped the handle of my wakizashi hard, turning my knuckles white.

Saki tilted his head. "You still don't know the origin of those powers you posses? This is greater than I ever thought." He smirked even more. "Stockman told me that it would do great things. But never in a million years could I think that it would bring yourself back from the dead."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I snarled. I could feel Leo moving slightly behind me.

"Ja... Jade?"

Saki took a step forward. "Look who decided to join us. I will finish what I started with you freak after I take your sister."

"I'm not going with you. And you're not going to take my family from me." I scowled, raising my wakizashi.

Saki blocked the swing, looking back at me. "I can be patient."

We swung our weapons, threw punches and kicks. As I blocked a roundhouse kick, I noticed Mikey run over to help Leo up who was still shaky after hitting his head. He tried a step toward me, but stumbled. Mikey muttered something into his ear. There were only a few Foot ninja left for them to finish off and Hun was also still standing.

Saki disarmed me with a strong swing to the handle of my wakizashi. It flew to the side of the balcony. I backed up to the wall, where the 90 story drop was just a push away on the other side. Saki grinned. "Don't be too worried my dear Jade. I still need you. You're the key to my domination."

"You mean your corruption?" I gave back.

"Now now don't be like that." He joked. "Don't be stupid. Come wih me and I won't have to waste another one of your precious lives."

_What?_

"Never." I simply said, glaring.

His smirk turned to a frown. "So be it. I'll take you dead. Like I said, I can be patient."

Without giving me time to process what he said. He lunged. There was no where for me to go since there was rubble on both of my sides. So I shifted my body, and let the sword plunge into my right shoulder. I gritted my teeth in pain as Saki leaned his face close to mine.

"I always win Hamato Jade." He chuckled. "That's not even your real name actually. I should be calling you by your birth name."

"I... Don't care w-what it is." I stammered. I gripped the handle of the sword in my shoulder and moved it to the side.

The blade snapped. Sakis eyes flew wide as I quickly flipped the handle around on him with broken blade aimed for his neck. I had the upper hand after he fell onto his back. Pushing down against his resisting arms was easy even with my burning shoulder. The broken blade slowly embedded itself into Sakis flesh. The blood squirted and oozed out. He started gagging, causing blood to splash onto my face.

"You... W-will be... mine..." Saki managed to spew out, blood gushing out the corner of his lips. "Mark...my w-words."

"I don't think so." I growled before the fire in his eyes died. He stopped struggling for breaths and his body just went limp.

My eyes started to water. The pain in my shoulder started to appear again since the adrenaline of sticking the broken sword into the Shredders neck has died. I slowly stood up and looked at my shoulder. I gripped the end of the blade and slid it out of my shoulder. Dropping it to the ground.

I didn't really care about my shoulder at the moment even if it did hurt. All I could do was stare at Oroku Saki. I didn't feel much. I felt I had avenged Leo's death. But I didn't feel avenged for what happened to me.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I flinched.

"Sorry." The hand lifted of my shoulder.

Leo smiled behind me.

"Leo." I breathed outs, a relieved smile on my face. I didn't care about my shoulder as I jumped into Leo's arms, hugging him around the neck. Leo gently embraced me and as we released each other. I could see he had tears running down his face. Happy tears.

In fact, as I looked around. My entire family had tears running down their face.

"Aw come on guys, you're going to make me cry." I chuckled, as a few of own tears escaped my eyes.

They laughed and all came in for a group hug. We all just tightly held each other until we heard police sirens on the ground level. Donnie peeked over the edge of the balcony.

"Time to go."

"How are we getting out of here?" Mikey asked.

I pointed to the chopper that was on the other side of the balcony. Donnie nodded and grinned at me. Both him and I have always wanted to man a helicopter. We studied the controls so we knew what to do.

_Sorta. _

We made it home in one piece at least.

* * *

After arriving back at the lair and getting more embraces from not only my family again but as well as April and Casey. My brothers explained what happened after the temple collapsed How they had spent time mourning my death, then confronted the Shredder.

Stockman had made his own armor and created the giant hole in the wall as well as the gunshot holes in the door. But eventually escaped after Donnie had disabled his suit of armor. Shredder had the Elite ninjas and his Foot army on then. Leo managed to take a lot of them out with the Sword of Tengu before he faced the Shredder one on one. Hun had fled after he watch me kill the Shredder.

I told them what happened after I died. The number ten and what Saki had told me when I battled with him.

"I still don't have answers and I killed him." I said with a sad tone while Donnie finished bandaging my shoulder wound. "Now I'll probably never find out what happened to me."

"Not necessarily." Donnie commented. "Baxter Stockman is still alive. He would be able to tell us more than the Shredder would just because he was the one who was conducting the experiments."

I tilted my head. Then looked over at April. "Do you think you could hack into Stockmans computer? Maybe he still has information on me?"

April smiled. "Of course I can." She walked over to the computers on the other side of the living room and began typing.

I looked back at Donnie. "We need to do some research." I glanced at his laptop on the coffee table. "On a five year old girl who was kidnapped on April 22nd, 1998. Twelve years ago."

Donnie smirked and cracked his knuckles before grabbing his computer. He flopped down on the couch and started the computer up. Leo put a hand in my shoulder and squeezed it before heading to his room upstairs. Mikey jumped in front of the TV and automatically turned on one of his video games while Raph and Casey decided to go to the surface to check out the latest crimes on the streets even though we had just gotten back.

Donnie went to the search engine and began searching for the list of missing 4 year olds. April came behind the couch.

"There is absolutely nothing helpful in Stockmans database." She said in defeat.

I was a little disappointed but I gave April a soft smile. "It's okay April. We will find everything out eventually."

April nodded. "I've been meaning to ask you, ever since my shop burned down I was thinking I would go back to my old college major."

I tilted my head. "What was that?"

"Archeology. Mainly South American. I called a old friend of mine who and he is going to help me start a business to locate and research ancient artifacts. I need some help. Would you be interested? I already asked Donnie to help with the researching and Casey is going to help too but… He is going to be the muscle since I don't really trust him with the artifacts. He's pretty clumsy." She chuckled.

_Who the hell would say no?_

"Of course! That sounds awesome!"

She clapped her hands excitedly. "Sweet!"

"Jade…" Donnie started.

I turned to him. He was looking right at me. "What?"

He pointed at the screen. On it was a picture of a girl with long brown hair with soft blue eyes. _Was that really me?_ "What does it say?"

He started scrolling under the picture. "It says that you had just turned four. You were living with your happily married mom and dad and the night you were kidnapped, your parents heard you scream at about two in the morning. They ran to your room and they found the window open, with you gone."

I zoned out and stared at the floor. "Is that it?"

Donnie scrolled some more. "Uh… not really. It just says there was search party's but there really wasn't any evidence to base off where they could really look for you."

_Well I had been kidnapped by ninjas so that made perfect sense._

Donnie scrolled to another picture. "Your name was Aubrey Marie Hale and your parents names were Ava and Joel Hale."

The picture was of me as a toddler with my parents in a lawn, in front of what I was guessing was my house. My mother was tall and pretty skinny. With black hair. My father was pretty lean as well. He has scruffy brown hair with a little scruff on his chin. _My parents._

"Print it out."

I went over to the printer that Donnie had connected to his computers. The picture printed out in vibrant colors. I picked it up and traced my finger over my parents faces lightly. It was odd seeing who were supposed to be my real parents on a peice of paper. I can't imagine having normal, human parents. My life has just been me, my rat father and my turtle brothers. I can't really think of anything other than that. But I of course, need to know everything. I looked back over at Donnie.

"Can you find my parents address?"

* * *

Casey's suburban parked in front of a small house. April put it in park and looked over at me.

"You ready?"

I don't know. I'm in front of my birth parents house. After Donnie had found their address, I decided I wanted to meet them in person. I didn't really know what to expect considering I had been missing for twelve years. I doubt that they would even believe that I was alive. April had volunteered to come with me. She was too young to pretend to be my adoptive mother, so she decided to pretend that she was my adoptive sister. Donnie and Leo insisted I put on a small earpiece headset. They, along with the rest of my brothers and maybe even Splinter were on the other side in front if the computer screens while April had a pair of glasses with a built in camera on it so they could see the house. They absolutely insisted on April having those glasses on.

I looked back over at April, taking a deep breath. "Ya."

We hopped out of the car and started to walk up sidewalk and to the door. The house was tall but rather skinny in a crowded neighborhood. If you can remember the Littles house from that kids movie _Stuart Little,_ then you know what kind of house im talking about. Literally five feet away from the houses next to it.

_"Good luck Jade." _I could hear Leo's voice in my earpiece.

I smiled slightly. "Thanks."

April and I stopped in front of the front door. She glanced at me before ringing the doorbell. I took another deep breath as the I could hear someone walk through the house to the front door. The door opened, revealing a tall man wearing jeans and a black shirt.

"Uh... If you're selling Girl Scout cookies, I don't want any." He grumbled.

April shook her head. "Are you Joel Hale?"

The man nodded slowly, giving us confused looks. "Ya... Do I know you?"

I cleared my throat. "You know me."

The man have a look over from head to toe. "No. I don't know you."

My mouth twitched and I chuckled nervously. "Well, you haven't seen me in twelve years."

Joel frowned. "What?"

"Twelve years ago, your daughter was kidnapped and you couldn't find a trace of her. She just disappeared." I started. "And now she's standing in the doorway of her parents home."

Joel squinted. "Aubrey?"

I nodded. "Ya... Dad, it's me."

Joel put his finger tips on my cheek. Lightly brushing it, like he was making sure I wasn't an illusion. Then he threw his arms around me, laughing. A women came up from behind him, staring at us in confusion.

"Honey? Who is this?"

Joel didn't say anything. He just looked down at me. I looked up at the lady who was supposed to be my mother. Ava.

"Hey mom." I smiled softly.

Ava immediately burst into tears as she also threw her arms around me. Joel looked over at April who was close to tears at our reunion. He shook hands with her and introduced himself. Then invited both of us in, sitting us down in the kitchen counter. April and I sat on the stools as Ava brought us a glass of iced tea.

Joel looked at April. "So you took care of Aubrey?"

April nodded. "I uh... Found her one night coming home from work and she... Uh looked homeless so I just decided to take her in."

_"That is the worst explanation I've ever heard of in my life." _Raph muttered on the other side of the earpiece.

_"Shut up Raph! I'm trying to listen." _Mikey said, sounding annoyed.

_"Me?"_

"_Well you're the only Raph here so what do you think?" _

I heard a two smacks. I was guessing it was Splinters walking stick. I had to cover my mouth from not laughing out loud.

Ava was looking over at me, waiting for some kind of answer. I nodded. "Uh... Ya that's what happened."

"So Aubrey..."

I raised my hand up before Joel could say any more. "Uh... dad, I know Aubrey was my birth name but I've grown up with the name Jade. I would actually prefer to use that.

Joel sighed. "Ok. Jade. How did you find us?"

"Well, I just decided to do a little research. I remembered the day I was kidnapped. So I went from there."

Ava turned pale. "Do you... Do you remember what they did to you?" Her voice cracked a little.

"No." I lied. "I don't remember anything and quite frankly, I don't want to. I've been living happily with April."

April nodded. "I used to own a antique store that was right under my apartment that we used to run together but the building burned down about two months ago."

"Oh that's terrible!" Ava whispered. "So what are you doing now?"

"I'm going to start a business with Jade and a couple of my friends. Uh, ancient artifact research and retrieval." April replied, quite proudly.

"That's really cool! You'll have to let us know how that goes." Joel said.

_"Oh let's go... I'm getting bored." _I heard Mikey mutter.

I coughed slightly. "Hey, can I see where my old room was?"

Ava and Joel hesitated. But reluctantly nodded. "Down the hall. Last room on the right."

I got up with April behind me. We walked down the hall to the doorway. I opened it up and gasped. April laughed.

Pink. It was all pink. Just like a little four year olds room would look like. I could hear my brothers laughing over my earpiece.

_"Wouldn't have taken you for the hello kitty type of girl Jade." _Raph joked.

I rolled my eyes. My room was actually pretty cute. Despite that pink was my least favorite color. I was mostly blacks, purple and maroon. Dark colors. Not... The hideous Barbie color. I walked over to my closet and opened it up. Little dresses hung from the hangers. So I was the biggest girly girl ever. I laughed a little and looked down. There were rows of little pairs of shoes. Sparkly kid heals and light up girl tennis shoes. I saw a small chest in the back of the closet behind the shoes. I kneeled down and opened it up. They were drawings.

Of ninjas in black suits.

I froze. "April."

April walked over to me. "Oh my god.."

I looked up at her. "I drew these when I was a tiny girl..."

Before she could say anything. I heard my parents walking down the hall. I quickly folded the drawings and stuffed them in my pockets. I stood up just as my parents walked in.

Ava smiled. "Now I know it's little girly, but you will be able to redo it when you move back in."

I stared at her. "What?"

Ava stared back, giving me a 'you know what I said'. I shook my head. "Uh no. Mom, it's awesome that I found you guys but I'm not moving back in."

Tears started forming in her eyes. "Why?"

"I'm seventeen, almost eighteen. I would be moving out soon anyway..." I started.

Joel put up a hand. "We understand. It's just... You will come visit though, right?"

I nodded and smiled. "Of course."

We had another small talk about the next time I came to visit. To go out to lunch next Saturday. I agreed and said goodbye.

I was happy to see my parents again. I couldn't remember them, but they seemed like they were really nice people. When I got back to the lair. I pulled he pictures back out and showed my brothers. They only got to catch a glimpse of them through Aprils camera glasses. Each of them had me, and a range from two to three Foot ninjas. One of the ninjas was different though, it was a girl. She had short black hair and had a hood. She was always holding my hands in the pictures.

Leo noticed this as well. "Who is she?"

My head started to hurt. I dropped the drawing and slammed my hand against my forehead. I started seeing images in my head.

* * *

_**Flashback: **_

_A little girl in her new Hello Kitty pajamas. She was drawing a pictures on the coffee table in the living room, while watching a movie. The Land Before Time. Her mother came in and turned the TV off after the movie ended. _

_"Aw!" The little girl whined. _

_Her mother clapped her hands twice. "Come on Aubrey, it's time for bed. Chip chop!" _

_The little girl, Aubrey groaned and stomped to her room. Her mother kissed her goodnight and turned on her pink nightlight and gently closed the door. As soon as it closed, Aubrey sat up and looked at the window. Two men and a women were standing outside. They wore black suits. The women had a hood. _

_Aubrey got out of her bed and went to the window, unlocking it. The women and two men jumped inside silently. _

_"Hello Aubrey. How are you tonight?" The woman asked. _

_"Hi!" The little girl greeted. "I'm good. Are you here to ask me the same question?" _

_The woman nodded. Aubrey avoided her eyes. "Same as last week. I haven't felt anything different. I'm normal." _

_The woman looked at the two men in ninja suits and nodded. They walked over picked her up roughly. The women jumped out the open window with the two men and a screaming Aubrey in their arms, disappearing into the night. _

_**End flashback:**_

* * *

Leo grabbed my shoulder. "Hey! Jade! Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "No. I just had like a flashback or something."

Splinter walked over and out his hand on my forehead. "What did you see my dear?"

I told them everything. I remembered that woman.

"She visited me about three months before she kidnapped me. She told me I was special, that I had secret powers. But I told her I never felt anything. I didn't know anything at the time. So she came back once a week and asked me the same question everytime. The last time she asked, was the time she took me."

"They probably decided that they didn't want to wait anymore." Raph grunted, staring at one of the pictures. "Impatient assholes."

I nodded. "I'm guessing."

"What was the chicks name?" Mikey asked curiously.

"Karai. Her name was Karai."


	8. Taken

**Chapter 8: Taken**

* * *

Ever since I found the pictures at my parents house, I've been getting more and more flashbacks. They were mostly of my meetings with Karai and she would tell me. That I was "special" and that I had "special powers". Well she wasn't kidding. It took a lot longer than I think she anticipated, but I do have powers.

Donnie and April asked me if I was would be okay with performing various experiments with them. I agreed so they both whipped up a few cameras that looked similar to security cameras. My job was to simply see what I could do with them. All I really had to do was concentrate on the camera I wanted to shut down, flick my hand to side slightly, and it would shut down. As we started trying different things, we discovered I could not only shut down cameras, but I could unlock doors by putting my pointer and middle finger together and putting them over the keyhole. The door would click and unlock. That's probably why I was always so good at unlocking doors.

And I of course had the healing, bringing people back to life and having cat lives type of thing going on. I figured that everytime I die or bring someone back, I lose some kind of life. Pretty weird but I guess it comes in handy, as long as I don't blow through the lives.

But there was a difference between unlocking doors and completely destroying items like I did with Doctor Abigail Finns gun back at Casey's farmhouse. Mutilating a gun took a lot of energy out of me. Raph and Casey brought back a few firearms after taking out various gangs on the surface so that I could practice breaking them. My nose would bleed everytime I tried. I always succeeded but my energy was completely drained. Donnie would observe and graph my progress on a chart. Monitoring how much energy I lost. It got a little easier each time but I had a long ways to go.

It had been a couple weeks since I had reunited with my parents. I visited them every weekend. They were nice people but I still found it hard to believe they were my parents. They were nothing like me. But I'll blame that on the family I live with now.

April finally got her archeology business going. Finding and retrieving relics for her clients. Within a week she had already had a client by the name of Max Winters, that wanted her to travel to South America to locate four stone statues of generals. He even gave us a due date. Which happened to be three years. It's a long due date but Winters was clear. He knew that finding all the stone generals was going to be a hard task. But after hours of researching, I had already figured out where the first one was. April planned on leaving for South America and asked if I wanted to join her but I decided to stay behind. There was still work I had to do here in New York.

* * *

My brothers and I were standing on a rooftop that gave us a perfect view of the New York skyline. Patrol tonight has been a busy one. We had witnessed more gang activity than the city has ever had. Purple Dragons and other small gangs were fighting for control of territory in the city. Word had gotten around the Shredder was dead. All the gangs knew who he was since he had once had control of the Purple Dragons. Now Hun led them.

The Foot haven't been seen. Not one glimpse. And we have no clue where Baxter Stockman is, although we figuring he was back at Foot Headquarters in his old lab. But until we knew for sure, there was no point in risking the safety of our lives for another infiltration of that building.

We ran across the rooftops in silence. Throwing in a flip here or there for fun and we soon ended up on the banks of the East River. There was a warehouse where increased signs of Purple Dragon activity was. Tonight, a semi truck backed up until the warehouse. As my brothers and I maneuvered past a oblivious guards, we ended up at a door behind the building. I unlocked it easily with my fingers. Inside, dozens of gang members were unloading crates and boxes from the semi truck. They were filled with guns that ranged from a small pistol to bazookas.

"Where would they get all that?" Mikey asked quietly. We were hiding behind crates that were stacked in the back of the warehouse.

"The Black Market." I replied, not taking my eyes off one of the crates that had grenades in it.

"What's that?"

I slowly turned my head, scrunching my forehead. "You don't know what the Black Market is Mikey?"

Mikey just shook his head. I groaned.

"You're nineteen years old! And you're supposed to be saving the city from crime like this but you don't even know what the Black Market is?"

Mikey shrugged. "Uh... No. Care to explain?"

I sighed. "It's an underground economy that trades and sells illegal goods..."

Raph shushed us. "Enough with the history lesson over there."

It was silent while we watched. Until Mikey leaned over to me again.

"So... What do you think they're doing?"

I shrugged. "The city is basically at war for territory. My guess is that the Purple Dragons are going to take over most of it by force."

"By violence." Leo added.

The Purple Dragon gang was enormous. It was like its own colonization of people. Innocent lives would be destroyed and the police can definitely try, but they won't be able to stop them. Not with these toys.

"So what's the plan Fearless?" Raph asked, turning to Leo.

Leo cringed. He hated that nickname. "Take them out."

"Simple." Mikey shrugged.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay. But how? I mean, there's got to be at least fifty to seventy men down there with firearms and explosives."

Everyone except for Donnie, looked over at me. I could sense exactly what was running through their minds. I shook my head and looked away from them. "No. There's no way I can destroy every single gun down there."

Donnie nodded in agreement. "She's not strong enough. Trying to destroy that many firearms at once would kill her."

"Well she can just come back." Raph scoffed.

I snapped my head to glare at Raph. "You are such an asshole."

Raph shrugged like he didn't care. "As if I haven't been called that before."

"Shut up you two!" Leo hissed. He pointed across the warehouse floor where the gang members were starting to group together. They were standing in front of the mountain of crates.

A man with the Purple Dragon tattoo running from his face to his arm climbed to the top of the crates.

"Listen up Dragons! With the Shredder out of the way, we can own this moment. We can own this town!"

The crowd cried in agreement.

"It's time to show the ninjas and all the other wannabe mobs that the Purple Dragons ain't just a bunch of street punks!

Then a familiar voice rumbled by the semi truck. "I couldn't agree more."

Hun was leaning his shoulder against the semi with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. The man nervously look down at Hun.

"Hun. We thought you weren't coming back." The man then stood tall. "Look. Things have changed. I'm in charge now. You can't come waltzing in the place like its yours."

Huns smirk grew. "Oh but I do own the place. Every step of turf you walk on, every kickback you've collected, every little crumb you've been handed... You owe to me. And you owe it to the Shredder." Hun pulled out a gun from his belt, aiming it at the man. "And it is in his memory that I bring the Purple Dragons to top of the food chain."

Hun pulled the trigger. The shot rang out and the bullet hit the man in the forehead. He collapsed and fell down the mountain of crates. Hun looked around at the shocked crowd. "Would anyone else like to object?"

Nobody answered. It was so silent you could probably hear crickets. Hun smiled. "I didn't think so." He clapped his hands. "Carry on. We got work to do."

All the men separated. Mostly to help finish unloading the semi of the weapons.

"Well... That was quite the pep talk." Raph muttered.

"Ya." Mikey agreed. "I like the William Wallace pep talk better"

Although that wasn't relevant to the situation, I couldn't help but agree.

Leo looked at me, and glanced at the gun I had strapped to my thigh. A .45 caliber semi automatic. I started it carrying on on me after Raph and Casey brought it back from the surface. It was meant for me to try to destroy but I decided to use it. Mostly for the last occasion purpose. I didn't use it unless I needed to. But I had a extremely good shot and I was betting Leo wanted me to shoot something.

"Blow up the semi. It will create enough chaos for them. Then I want you and Donnie to hook explosives to all the crates in this building. Nobody is going to get those firearms." Leo stated. Looking at everyone to nod in agreement to his plan.

I _knew _he wanted me to shoot something.

I nodded. "Okay boss. I'll make my way around until I have clear shot of the hood. As soon as it explodes, you guys join in."

I silently left them and stuck to the shadows of the building. With all the crates that were piled around the warehouse, I did it without difficulty. The hood of the semi truck was within view and I was far enough way that I didn't need to worry about damage coming to me after it finally did explode. I pulled out my gun and flicked the safety off. I aimed but out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a crate of hand grenades next to me. I smirked. Perfect. The semi wasn't going to explode immediately of shooting the hood. I grabbed a grenade and set it on the crate in front of me. Aiming again, I shot the hood perfectly two times. It started on fire. Men began running around, looking for whoever shot it.

_They should be running. _

I quickly put the gun down and picked up the grenade and removed the safety pin. I immediately threw at the semi. The grenade landed next to it. I ducked behind the crates, putting the pistol back in its holder on my thigh. The explosion was a big one. Men flew back to where I was hiding from the sheer force of the explosion. They hit the cement wall across from me and landed on ground with heavy thuds. They were definitely dead. I waited a few moments after the explosion, I jumped over the crates. Leo, Mikey and Raph already had started fighting the last of the men. There was still a good number of them, around thirty of fourth were still standing. Donnie was waiting for me by the mountain of crates. He was leaning over one of them. It was filled with dynamite. _Classic. _

Donnie nodded to me. "Start putting them around the perimeter. We'll use a time bomb to set off this mountain, the rest will go off like a domino effect."

I grabbed a handful of dynamite and took off, putting a dynamite in crates around the perimeter. I only needed a about a dozen since putting one in every single crate would take too much time. I had finished and started back toward Donnie when my path was blocked by the semi truck himself, Hun. He looked down and glared at me.

"You have been a problem my dear."

I have him a small smirk. "Aw, don't put the whole blame on me. You've been pretty naughty yourself."

Hun just growled and swung his fist. I ducked and gave him an uppercut to the chin. He stumbled back, giving me time to slip around him and sprint back to Donnie who had just finished hooking up the time bomb.

"Guys!" He shouted to the others who were still fighting with Dragons. "Time bomb is up! We have exactly two minutes before this place blows!"

The Dragons got the memo of the bomb going off. They slowly started retreating. As I started climbing down the crates to the ground, Hun caught me off guard. He put his massive hand around my neck, lifting me off the ground. My hands clumsily scrambled around his hands, trying to pull his grip off.

"Jade!" Donnie yelled, getting the attention of the others.

Hun pulled his gun back out and pointed it at them, making them stop in their tracks. The gang of Purple Dragons were long gone. Now it was just us and Hun.

"Put her down Hun!" Raph growled.

Hun hook his head. "Sorry freak. But she is still some use to me. Stockman needs her power for something special."

"She isn't going anywhere with you." Leo snarled.

My breaths started speeding up as I gasped for oxygen.

Hun smiled at me. "Oh but she is."

My vision started blurring. There was no use trying to pry his ground off my neck. I put my hand to belt where I could reach a shuriken, I pulled it out and plunged it into his wrist. Hun screamed in pain, instantly dropping me to the ground. Mikey and Leo quickly helped me up.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked.

I couldn't answer because I was still heaving but I was able to nod.

"Fifteen seconds! We need to scram now!" Donnie screeched.

I stumbled a few steps. Mikey grabbed my arm led me out the back door. I didn't see where our other brothers ran. Why weren't we running the same way? The back door led to a dock on the river.

"Come on Jade!" Mikey pulled me toward the river.

We sprinted down the dock and heard the explosion a split second before the force of the explosion made us fly into the river. I gasped for air after I broke to the surface. The warehouse was a raging fire. I needed to get out of here. I didn't know where anyone was.

"Mikey?" I screamed. "Mikey where are you?"

Another figure broke to the surface of the water. Mikey coughed violently. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Man! That sucked." Mikey said in between coughs.

I chuckled. "Come on. Let's get to shore and call the others."

We decided to swim down shore a little ways, away from the warehouse. We didn't really want to be caught on scene by the cops who we were absolutely sure were already at the burning building. As we got to the dirt banks, we both flopped down. Exhausted and tired from swimming and fighting. Reaching for my Shell Cel, I called Leo and put it on speaker so Mikey could hear as well. I didn't even get to say anything before before Leo's voice sounded through the phone.

_"Jade? Are you okay? Where's Mikey? Why didn't you guys follow us? Are you hurt? Where are you?..." _

I tried multiple times to start answering him but he just kept going on and on, eventually I lost my patience.

"Leo shut up!" I yelled, a little louder than I wanted. "We're okay. We're down the river a ways, on the shore. We jumped into the river just as the explosion went off."

_"And why exactly didn't you two follow us?" _I could hear Raph yelling through the phone.

"Ask Mikey. He pulled me toward the back door."

Mikey shook his head and started to stand up. "Uh... Sorry?"

I rolled my eyes. "What about you guys?"

_"We're fine. Just worried about you two. Can you two meet us at Baker Street?" _

"Ya. We'll be there in ten." I hung up and started to stand up. Both Mikey and I were soaking wet and covered in mud.

"We look like we played some redneck mud game." Mikey said, dipping his hands in the river and washing his face. I laughed and nodded. I wasn't nearly as bad as he was. Mostly soaked with water.

"Come on lame brain. Let's go before Leo has another heart attack."

Mikey stood up and we both turned around just to get shot in the shoulder. A dart. We both fell to our knees quickly. I scrambled to grab my Shell Cell as my vision started to blur. I barely managed to press the emergency tracker button before it was kicked out of my hands.

"Mikey." I gasped, looking beside me. He was already laying unconscious on the ground.

I felt someone lift my chin up. And I knew who it was immediately.

"Karai." I spat weakly.

She nodded. "Good to see you after all these years." She let go of my chin. Just before I blacked out. I saw Hun walk over to Mikey and pick him, hauling him over his shoulders.

"Mikey." I whispered just as it went black.

* * *

My eyes slowly opened up. My head was lolled down on my chest. It felt like a boulder as I tried lifting my head up. As my eyes finally adjusted, I found myself tied to a metal chair. Rubber straps held my wrists down. I struggled but it wasn't much use.

_Mikey. Where is Mikey?_

I heard a small whimper to my right. Mikey was sitting on the ground, his shell leaning against a pillar. His wrists were tied above him by thick ropes and there was a long piece of duct tape over his mouth. He looked like hell. His cheeks were a little red from crying. He was terrified. I knew one of his biggest fears was to be kidnapped. He always got uncomfortable when the story of my kidnapping came up in a conversation.

"Mikey, are you okay?" I asked him as softly as I could.

He shook his head.

"Right. Dumb question. Just hold on, our brothers will find us." I said, trying not to panic.

I started to look around at where we were. We were in some white room. Like a lab. There was a table of different fluids in front of me. Computers and TV screens were all over the wall. There was a table next to the chair I was strapped to. It was covered with a sheet. I could already guess what was underneath.

"Shit shit shit..." I mumbled.

I heard doors behind me slide open. There was footsteps. "Well good to see you two up finally. It's been a few hours and I'm very impatient." Stockman stood in front me. "It's good to see you again Jade."

"What do you want." I growled.

"I simply want you to do a few favors for me. You're a very special girl."

I rolled my eyes."Ya. So I've heard."

Stockman glanced over at Mikey. "And in exchange for your cooperation. You're green freak won't live to be my new dissection project."

I glared at Stockman. "You don't touch my brother."

Stockman laughed. "Brother? That thing is not your brother."

I didn't take my eyes of of him. "You. Don't. Touch. Him."

"Well cooperate and we won't have to worry about his safety. Now shall we?" He chuckled to himself. "Where do we start?" He started to walk around the chair I was strapped to. "Your powers have grown. But not as much as I was hoping they would."

"What exactly did you do to me all those years ago?"

"You still don't know?" Stockman looked a little surprised. "Well then let me be the first to inform you. Along with a... Colleague of mine."

I could sense another man standing behind me. He walked over the table that was next to me with a sheet over it. He bad a black trench coat and was wearing sunglasses. _Oh great._

"Hello Jade. It's so... Wonderful to see you."

"Oh it's a pleasure." I said sarcastically.

"You probably don't remember me. My name is Bishop."

"Oh don't worry. I remember you." I turned back to Stockman. "So what did you do to me?" I repeated my question.

"Well it actually started when you had just been born." Stockman started to explain. "You were only a day old. Some of my men were undercover at the hospital as you slept in the birth center with a dozen other newborns. My men randomly chose one baby to inject a special creation I had whipped up. You see, the liquid, which we like to call Valtrex, needs to grow and mature with the body it's injected into. But when it's fully matured, it can be removed and given to someone else."

"So what does it do?" I asked.

"It is meant to make you invincible. And as you already know, it will give you certain abilities. But these abilities were supposed to start showing themselves when you were young."

So Karai had been watching me. Visiting me when I was a child because my powers were supposed to start revealing themselves.

"But when they didn't show up on time, we decided to take you in." Stockman continued. "We needed to test why it was taking so long for the abilities to mature. Valtrex is supposed to mature years and years before you did. Unfortunately, it didn't. So we started conducting little experiments to see how much the drug had actually matured, which wasn't a lot."

So this has all been one big experiment. Awesome.

"So I'm carrying this drug... Valtrex. I'm guessing that after it was matured enough, you were going to remove it god knows how. Who were going to give it to?" I asked, but I was dreading the answer. I had a feeling I knew who it was.

Bishop snapped. The doors slid open again. I hard footsteps and another noise. It was a long cart that was pushed to the table in front of the room where the computers were. It had another sheet over it. The outline of a body was underneath that sheet.

Bishop walked next to it. And grabbed the sheet by the body's head. "Oh... I think you can guess."

He lifted the sheet to reveal Oroku Sakis head. His body looked almost the same from when I last saw him on the rooftop of Foot Headquarters.

"We've kept his body preserved for when it was time to bring him back."

Oh hell no. "I'm not bringing that bastard back. Why do you even work for him?"

"We were given a deal. But enough chat, you'll be reviving him."

I shook me head. "No."

Stockman laughed and glanced back over at Mikey. "Well I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

I looked over at him. He was staring at me, shaking his head slightly. I clenched my teeth and looked back at Stockman. "I... No."

Bishop snapped his fingers. The two men who pushed Sakis body walked over to the small table next to me and pulled the sheet off. Underneath were dozens of different shaped knives. One of the men picked one up and walked over to Mikey.

"No..." I mumbled, struggling against my restraints. Mikey started to struggle against his as well.

The man didn't hesitate to plunge the knife through Mikey's leg. Mikey's screamed through the duct tape. I pulled so hard at my restraints that it hurt. The man started twisted the knife. Mikey's screams became more and more agonizing to listen to. I couldn't take it.

"Stop! Just stop!"

The man stopped twisting the knife and looked up at Bishop. Bishop was staring at me but I couldn't take my eyes off the my brother. His screams subsided and his eyes finally rested on me. He shook his head again.

I wasn't going to let my brother get tortured. Not like I did. I swore to myself that nobody would get hurt, not like that. I'm keeping that promise.

"I'm sorry Mikey." I whispered. I looked back at Bishop. "I'll do it, but my brother gets left alone."

Bishop smirked. "Deal." He snapped his fingers again. The man who dug the knife in Mikey's leg quickly pulled it out. Mikey whimpered, making me cringe. The other man who was still standing by me unstrapped me from the chair and pushed me toward Sakis body. I hesitated. If I'm correct, when I bring someone back, I have to feel the pain of their death... But slower. I killed Saki with a broken sword to the throat.

This is going to hurt. A lot.

I put my hand on Sakis shoulder. And the pain immediately set underneath my hand. I could feel the electricity go through my arm and through my body. I could feel the blade of the sword going into the flesh of neck. I screamed in agony but I could remove my hand from the body. I pulled away as hard as I could, but it was like my hand was glued down. Forget the pain I felt when I brought back Leo. This was worse. Much worse.

I could hear Mikey through his gag. It sounded like he was screaming my name. I could feel blood trickle down out of the wound. And when it felt like I couldn't take the pain anymore, it stopped. I could feel the neck wound close up.

Then I blacked out.

* * *

Mikey couldn't believe what he was seeing. The Shredder, their arch enemy, was back from the dead.

Yes, Mikey was terrified. But he would have rather had a knife in his thigh than to have old Shred Head back on his feet. After Jade fell unconscious, the two men pulled her back into the chair she was strapped to. Stockman was checking the Shredders vitals at the moment and Bishop was chatting with him. Every now and then, they looked over at Mikey tied and gagged to the pillar.

He turned his attention to his younger sister who still slouched in the chair. When she brought Leo back, it took her a few hours before she woke up again. But she looked like she was dead.

Mikey was scared. He was so scared for his sister. He knew that she was in for a hell of time here.

* * *

_9._

* * *

I gasped for breath as my eyes snapped open. I heaved until I could finally breath normally. I heard a small whimper.

Mikey.

He looked relieved to see me up but worried at the same time.

"I'm okay Mikey. I'm okay." I breathed out. "Did they do anything to you?"

He shook his head. I nodded in relief and put my head back against the chair.

"I'm sorry Mikey. I'm so so sorry. But I couldn't let them... Hurt you." I looked back over at Mikey. My voice was cracking as my eyes filled with tears. "But I promised myself I would never let anyone get to tortured like I did when I was a little girl."

Mikey's eyes started to tear up. He nodded in understanding. He looked like he wanted to say something but I wouldn't know since he still had duct tape over his mouth.

"Was I out for a few hours?"

Mikey nodded.

I took a deep sigh. "Okay."

I don't know how long we both sat in that lab. It felt like a few more hours before the doors behind me opened up.

"Ah Jade. So wonderful to see you awake."

I didn't say anything as Oroku Saki stepped in front of me.

"Thank you for bringing me back by the way. I feel good. I feel... _Great._" Saki walked to the table next to me. It still had the knives on it, he started tracing his finger along the blades of the knives. "Now. There is a order of business I need to finish. As Stockman informed you, my original plan was to extract Valtrex from you... But." He picked up one of the knives and twirled it in his fingers. "To my disappointment, there had been a slight problem and we cannot extract it from your body. So... I'll give you a choice."

"Oh I am so not in the mood for deals pal." I sneered.

"Well I didn't say I was going to make a deal with you. I said I'll give you a choice." Saki smirked as he put the edge of the blade against my forarm and slowly dug it into my skin. My jaw clenched up and I tightened my fists. "You can help me and your brother lives or your brother dies."

I sighed. "But either way, I have to help you."

"That's right. So what will it be?"

I rolled my eyes slightly. "Well I'm basically choosing my brothers fate and I'm obviously going to choose to keep him alive."

"Well that is wonderful news because now your brother can watch you die."

_Wait what?_

Saki pulled the knife out of my arm and plunged it into my chest. I heard Mikey scream. Saki leaned his head next to my ear. "It's time for a little payback." He whispered.

It went black.

* * *

_8._

* * *

I opened my eyes to an extreme pain in my wrists. A man in a white scrubs was putting chains on my wrists.

"Trying to get away will be quite painful."

He shoved one of the clasps of the chain in my face, showing me the inside. Tiny little spikes covered the inside. If I at all tried to free myself of the chains... Well actually I wouldn't be able to. That's out of the question.

The man clamped the clasp down on my wrist. He had chained me to a pillar in the same room I had been in for the past few days. I screamed from the pain of the spikes digging into my skin. The man smiled evilly. "I also have a message from my master."

He pulled out a gun from the pocket of his jacket and dug it into my abdomen.

Pulling the trigger.

The man smiled to himself as he put the gun back into the pocket. He stood up and walked out the door. Mikey struggled against his restraints across from me.

My vision blurred. "Mikey..."

* * *

_7._

* * *

_6._

* * *

Oxygen filled my lungs I heaved. Someone was grabbing my shoulders.

I struggled fiercely. I heard someone saying my name but I tried ignoring it. I struggled until I felt two cold hands grab my cheeks, forcing me to look at him.

"Hey, hey, hey. Jade. It's me. Leo."

"Leo..." Was all I was able to mumble out in between my deep breaths. I was so weak. My body was numb.

I watched him try to pull at the clamps around my wrist. I cringed.

"Stop... They're not meant to come off." I said, looking down at the clamps. Blood was all over my hands. It was coming out from beneath the clamps.

Leo looked over his shoulder. "Don!"

Donnie came running over. He took one look at me, then at my restraints. "Oh god..." He reached into his duffel bag over his shoulder and pulled out a small chain breaker. "We don't have time to try and get them off now. We'll do it at the lair."

Leo nodded. "Raph! You're in charge of Mikey!"

I couldn't see Raph. I couldn't see Mikey. My vision started blurring again.

I felt Leo pick me up, bridal style. Telling me to stay with him.

But I couldn't. I passed out as we passed through the door and into the hallway.


	9. Into the Future

**Sorry that the story started getting really weird. But I really wanted to get Jades background story over with. It will obviously progress over the chapters but I wanted to get the big mess of it over with. **

**I promise I'll start adding more episodes from the TV show and scenes from the movie! **

**Chapter 9: To The Future**

**This chapter takes place during 'Future Shellshock' of the 2003 TV show. I thought it would be fun to throw that whole season in this story.**

* * *

Leo laid Jades body on the army cot in Donnie's lab. She was in really bad shape. Blood and dark purple bruises covered her body from head to toe. But the most frightening part was her wrists. She had been chained to the wall in Foot Headquarters with clamps on the chains. Jade said they weren't meant to come off. He didn't want to see what her wrists looked like with the clamps off. They looked bad enough with them on. Donnie carefully took his time removing the clamps. Splinter helped him remove and instantly wrap her skin in a thick bandage after the clamps were removed. Small holes were evenly spread out where the spikes on the inside of the clamps were.

It was sick.

Mikey wasn't in very good shape either. He wasn't physically damaged like Jade had been but he probably saw enough to last him more than one lifetime and both him and Jade were also very malnourished. They probably weren't givin' anything to eat or drink for the three days they were captured.

* * *

_"... Can you two meet us at Baker Street?" Leo was saying through his Shell Cell. _

_"Ya, we'll meet you there in ten." Jades voice said, hanging up the phone. _

_"Typical them. The youngest getting into trouble like that. Why the hell did Mikey run to the back door?" Raph grumbled._

_Donnie gave Raph a raised eyebrow. "Mikey probably panicked. I mean, there was a time bomb that was about to explode." _

_Raph rolled his eyes and scoffed. Leo's Shell Cell started to blare. Along with Donnies and Raphs. The only button that made a sound like that was the emergency button. They all looked up at each other with panicked expressions. _

_"They're in trouble." Donnie murmured. _

_"Let's go!" Lei turned around and followed the tracker on the small screen of his Shell Cell. It didn't take them longer than five minutes to reach where the distress signal was coming from where they caught a glimpse of an unconscious Mikey over Huns shoulders getting thrown into the back of a black van._

_"No!" Leo yelled out as the van took off. _

_They weren't fast enough to keep up with it._

* * *

Their first guess was that they were being taken back to Foot Headquarters. Even if the Shredder was dead, that didn't mean Stockman still didn't want Jade. Mikey was their leverage against her. April was contacted for her help to crack into the security system again. She immediately flew back from South America where she was looking for an artifact for a client. But even April had trouble getting into the system. It took her and Donnie two days to finally hack in, and all they managed to get were a few playbacks from the security cameras, showing Mikey and Jade being dragged into the room they were held in.

* * *

_Breaking into Stocktronics was getting more and more difficult every time. It took a solid break in plan to rescue their youngest siblings. _

_After breaking into the room where they were kept, Raph went straight to Mikey as Leo went to Jade. Donnie stayed by the door. Mikey's hands were tied above him and there was duct tape over his mouth. His head was resting on one of his raised arms and his eyes were closed until Raph kneeled in front of him and gently peeled the duct tape off his mouth. Mikey's eyes fluttered open. He jumped a little, panicking. Raph had to steady him by putting his hands on Mikeys cheeks. _

_"Ra.. Raph?" Mikey stuttered. _

_Raph nodded. "I'm here bro." He cut the thick ropes around Mikey's wrists._

_"I'm... I'm sorry Raphie... This is m-my fault." _

_Raph shook his head and started to help Mieky to his feet. "No it's not little brother. Just hang in there."_

_Mikey was extremely wobbly. Raph had to put Mikey's arm around his shoulder to help him walk. _

_"Donnie!" Raph heard Leo yell. _

_Raph watched Donnie quickly race over to the other side of the room where Jade was sitting. She looked really bad. _

_"Shit. Kiddo..." Raph breathed._

* * *

Mikey was sitting in a chair in Donnie's lab, watching Splinter and Donnie wrap Jades wrists up. April had come into the room with a bowl of water and hand towel. She started cleaning the dry blood off of Jades skin. Leo came over and kneeled in front of Mikey.

"Hey."

"Leo." Mikey whispered. "This is my fault."

"Mikey, it's not your..."

Mikey snapped his head and looke directly at Leo. "Yes it is! The Shredder is alive because of me! Jade was forced to bring him back because of me!"

It became silent in the room. Everyone's attention was on Mikey.

"The Shredder is alive?" April asked.

Mikey nodded slowly. "Stockman and this dude called Bishop forced her to bring the Shredder back. They were going to torture me if she didn't." A tear ran down his cheek.

Nobody could say anything. What could you say?

"Oh... This is just perfect!" Raph slammed his fists on Donnie's work table.

"Careful Raph!" Donnie said. "There are toxic chemicals on that table!"

"Toxic chemicals... That should be the least of your concerns!" Raph snapped. "Our sister and brother have been through hell and the Shredder is back! And you're worried about your damn chemicals?"

"Raph calm down!" Leo warned.

Raph pointed a finger at Leo. "No Leo! I'm not going to calm down!"

Leo stood up. "This is not the time to start a fight!"

"This is the perfect time to start a fight! The Shredder is fucking back!" Raph yelled, getting in Leo's face.

"My god would you guys shut up?" A familiar voice whined in annoyance.

"Jade?"

* * *

My eyes slowly opened. My senses were welcomed with the familiar sound of bickering. April was standing over my with a. wash cloth.

She smiled warmly. "Welcome back to the land of living."

I smiled back as best I could. I would have greeted her back but Leo and Raph's arguing was giving me a headache and I had woken up just a moment ago.

"My god would you guys shut up?" I managed to croak out.

Leo and Raph's voices died down. "Jade?" Leo asked.

"Well who else could it be?" I asked weakly. My usual sarcasm hadn't left me.

"Well... Your personality is still intact so that's good I guess." Raph muttered as him and everybody else rush to the cot I laid on.

"No one can get rid of that." I whispered. "Unfortunately for you." I chuckled, starting to sit up; feeling Donnie and Aprils hands gently help sit against the wall behind the cot I laid on.

_Mikey. _

"Where's Mikey?" I asked, panic started rising in me.

Mikey's tear streaked face appeared between Donnie and Master Splinter. He gave me a small grin. "Hi."

"Hi?"

He nodded slowly, losing the smile.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

He hesitated before shaking his head. "No. But I'm happy to see you awake."

"Glad to be awake." I smiled at him sympathetically. He gave me a small smile and a curt nod before sitting on a chair by the wall. Donnie walked over to him and started to check his vitals.

I turned my attention to the others. "How is he really?" I whispered.

Master Splinter shook his head. "He is deeply shaken. He believes that it is his fault that you were both taken in the first place."

"Not to mention he thinks it's his fault that the Shredders back." April muttered.

I sighed. "There's more to all that." I started explaining what Valtrex was and how I had gotten it. I explained Shredders resurrection and his "payback" on me.

"You were randomly picked out, out of dozens of babies to be injected with this... Impossible drug?" Leo asked.

"Well it's pretty damn possible Leo. I bring people back from the freakin' dead and I have extra lives. So."

Mikey was still over by the wall, his eyes on the ground.

"So the Shredder murdered you after you brought him back?" Raph asked.

I nodded.

"Mikey watched that?" Leo asked in worry.

I nodded again." He watched more than that." I gestured to the fresh cuts on my skin. "He watched me die three times."

April shook her head in disgust. "That's awful."

I shrugged lightly. "The important part is that me and Mikey are alive."

Leo nodded in agreement. "Well, we'll let you rest."

"I'll make some soup." April said before leaving the room and heading for the kitchen.

I looked at the others and then back at Mikey. "I want to talk to Mikey alone." I said quietly.

The others nodded, understandingly, and left the room. Master Splinter squeezed Mikey's hand reassuringly before leaving.

"Mikey." I said. "Come here."

He looked up at me and slowly walked over to the cot. He burst into silent tears as soon as he reached it.

The good thing about having healing abilities is that even after dying three times, getting beaten to a pulp and being carved up with different knives, I healed and gained strength back quickly. I had slowly swung my legs over the side of the bed. I grabbed Mikey's hand and pulled him onto the cot, having him sit on the edge next to me.

"Jade... I'm so..." He started but I cut him off.

"Stop. Don't you dare say it. Don't be sorry for what happened. There is nothing you could have done to stop what happened."

Mikey glanced at me. "But they used me. So they could force you to bring back the Shredder!"

I rubbed my thumb over his leathery hand. "Yes. They used you against me. But I don't regret bringing back the Shredder in that situation."

He gave me a confused look. "But..."

"Family is first Mikey. You and our brothers. April, Casey, Splinter. You guys are always first. I will always do what I can to prevent you all from getting hurt. Even if it does have a consequence. But I'll tell you something. We took out the Shredder once. We can do it again. We will always win."

Mikey nodded slowly. He pulled me into a tight embrace like I would die again if he let go.

* * *

The next few nights were brutal. Both Mikey and I had both have screamed in our few hours of sleep. Mikey shared with me that his were of me dying. Just how he remembered watching me from the pillar he was tied to. And how he felt helped because there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Master Splinter meditated with us constantly. Each night became easier than the last. Mikey's goofy personality was finally starting to show again after a week. I had almost fully healed although I still had the nasty scars added to my collection. We weren't allowed to go on patrol for the next week either. Master Splinter wanted us to keep a low profile, which kept us cooped up in the lair. Raphs head was about to explode. But it kinda always does, doesn't it? Hence his nickname Hothead.

"For the last time, it's my day!" Raph shouted at Mikey in the living room. They were both fighting over who got the remote to the TV set. I was sitting on the couch, watching them bicker.

"Yup! You're lucky day! Cause we're watching the twenty four sci-fi megathon!" Mikey switched through the channels.

Raph stood in front of the TV sets. "Give me that remote Mikey or I'm flipping you instead of the channels."

Mikey blew a raspberry and laughed as Raph swung for the remote. Donnie, Leo and Master Splinter stood next to the couch watching the two brothers battle it out.

"Nineteen years of ninja training and it all comes down to Ultimate Wrestling Smackdown vs. Zombies from Saturn Four." Leo sighed.

"Who the hell comes up with those names?" I chuckled to myself.

Master Splinter grumbled and scratched his head. "Where did I go wrong?"

Raph and Mikey jumped on the couch. Raphs body was sprawled over my lap. Mikey was cheering with the remote in his hand. "I got it!"

Leo and Donnie jumped, creating a dog pile. "Oh ya?"

Pretty soon, I had four mutant turtles on top of me. "Guys!... I can't breathe!" I managed to swipe the remote and throw it on the floor. The boys immediately jumped off me and dived for the remote on the floor. Splinter laughed at me dramatically heaving on the couch. The boys were on a thin, silk rug that April had gotten for us, which gave Splinter the idea to quickly wrap them up in it.

Splinter flopped on the couch triumphantly with the remote in his paw. "This is pointless. You all know my soaps are on five minutes."

Mikey managed to use his toe to change the channel on the remote. "That's five minutes if sci-fi goodness!" He cheered.

A bright blue light flashed, blinding us after Mikey clicked the remote. When the light faded. It was dark in the lair and my clothes were my gone was well as the boys masks and pads.

I sprinted quickly around the corner of the living room hiding behind the wall. I was butt naked and I didn't need my brothers seeing me in the nude.

I heard Raph panicked voice. "Where are masks? A-and our weapons? I feel totally naked!"

"Uh… Where's Jade?" Donnie asked.

I shot my hand out from around the corner of the all. "I'm over here but… You wanna hand me that silk rug?"

I heard the boys murmur in discomfort. I kept my hand open as I felt the silky fabric get handed to me. I wrapped it around my body like a towel, then came out from behind the wall. Master Splinter's robes were gone as well. But he didn't feel uncomfortable like I did so he let me use the silky rug. I guess it wasn't really a rug but that's what we had used it as.

Mikey screamed, causing us all to snap our heads toward him. He was pointing at the wall. "Where the TV? It's gone!"

"Forget the TV." Leo said. "The whole lair is trashed!"

He was right. Rubble was all over the ground.

"What the hell happened? Raph asked.

Master Splinter looked up. "Quickly. Outside!"

* * *

Opening the manhole cover, which usually led us to an alley, now led us to a small patch of grass. And around us, were tall buildings. It looked like Coruscant from Star Wars. Hovercrafts flew at high speeds above us.

"Nice going Mikey!" Raph said accusingly. "You didn't just change the channel. You changed the whole freakin world!"

"This isn't my fault!" Mikey whined.

"Knock it off!" I smacked both of their arms. "Let's move and see what we can find!"

Everyone agreed. It seemed like we were in a downtown part of the city. Alleys were still everywhere, but they looked pretty clean. We made our way a little deeper into the city and hid at the edge of an alley. The street was pretty empty except for the weird, alien looking pedestrians that walked on the sidewalk.

"Alright so who attacked us and where are we?" Leo asked us. "Anyone got any suggestions?"

Before any of us could answer, a huge truck rolled by and stopped by the alley. Big triceratop looking men jumped out of the truck and opened the back up, pulling out pile of thin, see through devices. They started putting them at a newstand.

"Now we're talking!" Raph punched his fist into his palm.

"Talking about what?" I asked. "They don't look suspicious Raph."

Mikey jumped excitedly. "Let's see what nasty device they've planted!" He jumped out of the alley way and into the back of the truck.

"Mikey! Get back here!" Leo whispered loudly.

_Michelangelo. Lord of Always Getting into Trouble._

I watched the triceratop men put more and more of the devices into the newstand. "Guys! This is truck is a mail truck! Those devices are newspapers!"

The door behind Mikey shut, locking him in. "It's taking off!" Raph yelled.

"After him!" Leo shouted.

We started running for the truck. It was pretty difficult for me since I had to keep a hold of the silk rug wrapped around me. The truck got onto a what looked like a freeway. Raph, Donnie and Master Splinter jumped onto the tops of the cars as they passed by. I had started to fall behind so Leo came back for me and picked me up, then jumped onto a speeding car.

"Oh this is so not safe!" I screamed.

"You can give Mikey the next punishment!" Leo yelled, jumping onto another car.

As we jumped from car to car, Leo and I managed to jump onto a truck next to a car that Donnie and Splinter were on. We passed by a sign that had an automated voice.

"_Now entering uptown level one. Gravitation level: three. Terran air content: Sulphurous." _

Leo and I gave each other a confused glance. I shrugged.

Raph was closest to the truck Mikey was in. Somehow, the back of the truck was open and Mikey was reaching his hand out to Raph. Raph tried to jump into the back of the truck but missed completely causing him to fall and roll onto the pavement of the freeway. The car Donnie and Splinter were on swerved to avoid hitting Raph. Their car swerved into the path of the car Leo and I were on. Leo caught his footing as we fell off the car and landed on the pavement. He managed to still have me in his arms as we fell so he stopped me from hitting the cement. He put me down as he helped Raph up. The cars behind us rolled. A huge crash was created.

"Oh shit!" I yelled. A truck started to roll toward us. We managed to jump out of the way as it rolled by us.

We all were at the edge of the freeway bridge just as sirens started to blare. Hovercrafts that looked similar to police cars landed in front of us.

A robot man in a police suit got out of one of the cars. "Hello, hello, hello. What's all this then?" He stared at us, then jammed his pointer finger in his chest. "Chief Constable Biggles of the Peacekeepers! Lets see some identification!" He pointed his finger at us.

We couldn't answer. There was something seriously wrong with the air. Like it was too thin for us to breathe correctly.

The chief chuckled to himself when we didn't answer. "Right. Undocumented aliens is it? When will you people learn that.." He started to say as he turned around, talking to the other officers who were running over.

It gave us enough time to jump over the side of the freeway and down to the street below without the chief noticing. We were all coughing from the lack of oxygen in our lungs as we sat on the edge of another freeway.

"This is just great." Leo muttered. "We're here for two minutes, we've already lost Mikey and now we're fugitives!"

"How does trouble always manage to find us?" I asked weakly.

A long black hovercar stopped by us. The front window slid down, revealing a big silver robot. "Come with me if you want to live." His glowing mouth lit up every time a word sounded.

The doors on the car opened. We gave each other unsure glances before hopping inside. We didn't have much of a choice. The doors shut behind us and the car started moving again. It was almost like a limo on the inside. The seats were around the edge of the inside. But we could barely pull ourselves onto the seats. Hell, we barely were able to get into the car.

The robot walked to the back of the car and stood in front of us. So there's gotta be some kind of autopilot on this car. Kinda cool but…

"Alright! You got our attention! Now talk or… or...!" Raph growled while trying to stand up but failed and crashed down to the ground.

"Or nothing!" Donnie turned to me. "This air makes it so we can barely walk!" I nodded in agreement.

"Forgive the theatrics." The robot gave us a slight bow. "But the master insisted that retreiving you all was of the utmost urgency. I couldn't resist."

"What the hell are we?" Raph started to get up again.

"Not even a thank you? How predictively _organic _of you." The robots eyes rolled slightly.

Raph managed to get to his feet. "Hey, you said to come with you… if we want to live! Remember that bucket head?" Raph pointed at him.

The robot nodded and walked over to the side of the car where different colored, armored plates were. He grabbed the red ones and started walking toward Raph with them. "I do, but I think we will all breathe easier once you're strapped into these."

The robot slammed the biggest piece on Raphs chest along with armored arm pieces, a belt and a metal leg pieces. Raph jumped up after it was all connected to him. "Hey! The walking toolbox turned the air back on!"

The robot walked over to the rest of us and put on pieces of the armor. Splinter and I got a simple belt around our waists. The robot just handed mine to me since he could sense how uncomfortable I was with the silk rug still wrapped around me. I struggled, but I managed to clip it on. I could instantly feel the oxygen moving quickly and easily through my lungs again.

The robot backed up and studied us. "With the many divergent alien life forms inhabiting the city, atmospheric composition and gravity vary from area to area. I pity the fool who try to walk around without an inviral pack, graviton regulator or wrist translator."

I still thought it looked like armor.

* * *

We came up the elevator of a huge mansion that we finally arrived at. The robot said this was the "Masters House". As the doors opened, we all walked out and into a enormous foyer.

"Look we appreciate you helping us with the breathing and all, Mister… uh." Leo started.

The robot turned back to us and gave another bow. "The name is Serling."

Raphs hands balled into fists. "Your name is going to be Scrap Metal unless you start making with some answers!" His voice rose. "I got a brother missing!"

Another voice filled the foyer. It was kinda high pitched. "Woah! You're really here! You're really… real! And… Wow!"

A boy that looked about eighteen walked up to us. He wore blue pants and a white t-shirt that clashed with his bright red hair. He put his hands behind his back and stared at the turtles in awe. I rolled my eyes at the discomfort I was feeling. I hid behind Leo, peeking out from behind him.

Serling pointed to the boy. "The master."

"Master?" Raph said, confused. "But he's just a kid!"

Donnie poked me in the arm and pointed to room off the foyer. "Look!"

Inside the room was filled with very familiar objects. Including a Foot ninja banner, The Shredders full suit of armor and Casey's gold bag still filled with different hockey sticks and baseball bats.

Raph got angry when he saw Casey's bag. "What? Casey's stuff? Our stuff?" Raph grabbed the boys shirt with his hand. "Alright turp, where did you get all this stuff? Where the hell are we?"

Serling grabbed Raph by the shell and held him up in front of his face. "Manners reptile." He dropped Raph on the ground.

The kid looked nervous. "Don't be mad. The hockey stuff, the armor. It all belonged to my great grandparents! Casey Jones and April O'Neil."

_What?_

The kid then smiled. "My name is Cody Jones. And this is New York  
City in the year 2105."

"We're in New York? A hundred year in the future?" Leo cried.

"Actually it's ninety one years." Donnie said, not being able to help himself.

"...And aliens live here and cars fly?" Leo kept going.

"Crazy right?" Cody said excitedly. "I can't believe you're here too! I mean... I've read about you for years, but to actually meet you..."

Master Splinter chuckled, looking rather confused like the rest of us. "We are honored by your enthusiasm, but if you could tell us how we came to be here, please; you must tell us."

"I'll do better! I'll show you!" Cody then gestured to all of Splinter. "But first, maybe we should do something about the... Nakedness."

I scoffed. "You're telling me."

Cody perked up. "Who said that?"

I peeked our from behind Leo. "Uh me."

Cody simply stared at me with his jaw open. His eyes went from my head to my toes. I groaned. _Boys._

"Well? Are you just going to stand there with googly eyes or what?" I said with sarcasm.

"So you must be Jade?" Cody asked.

I nodded just as Serling walked over to me and gestured out of the room along with Splinter. "I'm sure we can find something suitable for these two to wear."

I felt awkward as I left the room. I could feel Cody watching me as I left. Serling brought me and Splinter to another room where a machine was. He instructed us to step inside and imagine ourselves in the clothes we desire.

_The future is so awesome. _

I was soon fitted in a pair of stretchy, black legs with combat boots and a black t-shirt. I even managed to get myself a ponytail to French braid my long hair like I usually did. Splinter got fitted with a new silky, red robe.

"You look dashing Sensei." I chuckled.

Splinter smirked. "Yes. I do believe this will quite well."

I laughed as Serlijg brought us back into the room where the boys were waiting. My brothers finally had their colored masks on their face. Cody stared at me again. I rolled my eyes as I walked over between Donnie and Leo. Raph glared at Cody.

"Okay kid, stop staring at my sister."

Cody immediately took his eyes off me and started walking to another room of the mansion. We followed. Raph elbowed me and winked after Cody turned his back.

"Looks like you got a secret admirer." He whispered.

I rolled my eyes. "Just what I need."

Raph just laughed.

Cody lead us into a lab of high tech computer equipment. I giggled when Donnie entered the lab. He was speechless. It was so adorable when he would be awed by technology like this. When we had grouped together by a few desks, Cody explained how April and Casey wrote about us all in a journal. He didn't get to explain much more before he was interuppted.

"Wait. _Casey _wrote about us?" Raph asked, disbelieving.

Cody nodded. "April too. You're lives were so cool! I was just dying to see you all in action." He started typing on a keyboard in front of him. "But with your whole "hide in the shadows", I couldn't just upload a video feed. So I invented this!"

He pressed a button on the keyboard. Behind us, a big window lifted up from the floor. The window part... Wasn't really a window. It wasn't see through. It was purple it moved and rippled like water. But then it showed a picture. A picture of the lair.

"A time machine?" I asked.

"It was supposed to be a time _window. _A way to view the past. The travel part was a complete accident." Cody hung his shoulders guiltily. "One I have no idea how to recreate."

"So we're stuck here in 2105?" Raph asked with a little snarl. The rest of us crossed our arms and gave Cody a glare.

Cody nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, yes. Splinter and the six of you are... Hey!" Just noticing now that there was only three turtles. "Where is number six?"

"We lost Mikey the second we got here!" I scowled. "He's probably terrified.

Cody looked a little nervous. "Well let's go find him!" He started for the door until Serling grabbed his arm.

"I'm afraid that's not possible." He said sternly to Cody. He then turned to the rest of us. "Master Cody is the owner of O'Neil Tech. A prominent manufactuer of Terran technology. As heir to the company and the Jones-O'Neil fortune, a simple walk in the park makes him a irresistible target for kidnappers and murderers." Serling gestured to the lab. "Everything Master Cosy could ever need is made available here in the penthouse. The outside world is a dangerous place for him."

I scoffed. "Where have we heard that one before?"

Cody turned back to his computer. The screen was literally a huge plasma TV on te wall. "So... How to find one mutant turtle, In a city of thirty million?"

Donnie walked up to the computer. "Well... I know I'm just an amateur from the 21st century, but if your time window was based on the principle of nondirectional tactiomrefraction then..." Both him and Cody turned to each other. "... There might be a ambial traces of subpartical intoe!" They finished the sentence together, laughing.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Great. Another one that speaks geek."

I laughed. "Basically some charged energy particles got stuck to us when we fell through time. So we can track that energy to use as a sort of GPS destination."

Raph scrunched his brow at me. "You understood all that?"

"Well I've spent lots of time with Donnie and April. You start catching on eventually." I winked at him.

The screen on the wall showed streets and buildings with a blinking red dot inbetween two of the buildings. Donnie pointed. "There he is!"

Serling turned to Cody. "Shall I bring the limo around sir?"

Cody shook his head. "I have a better idea!" He raced out of the room with us behind him. He led us down to what looked like a garage. In the garage, there was a giant hovercraft that was shaped like a turtle shell.

"Ha! Here it is!" Cody exclaimed. "I call it, the Hover Shell!"

All three turtles were speechless. Especially Donnie again. "Woah! You designed this?"

Cody chuckled and pointed at Donnie. "Actually, you did. I just built it from your original blueprints."

Serling pushed Donnie out of the way and stood in front of Cody. "Master! You can't just go out into the open! What about procedures, precautions..." Cody just ignored Serling and followed the rest of us into the Hover Shell.

I took a seat in the back. As Cody took the drivers seat. Upon getting into the air, Cody looked back at the rest of us. "Uh... Just so you know. I'm kinda still learning to drive this thing!"

_Fucking perfect. _

The Hover Shell took flips and sharp turns.

"I think I'm gonna sick." I muttered, clenching my jaw.

Donnie looked back at me. "Since when do you have a weak stomach?"

I glared at Cody with the steering wheel as we took another sharp turn. "Since we got into a hovercraft with a ametuer driver."

Cody looked a little hurt. "I'm new at this. Give me a break."

I huffed. "How close are we?"

Leo pointed to the red dot on the screen in front of Donnie. "Here."

"That was fast."

Cody kept the Hover Shell hovering over a wide back road, alley type place. I saw Mikey getting dragged toward a truck by a group of men who wore long robes that lit up like LED lights. They threw him on the ground in front of the truck.

I was the first to jump out of the Hover Shell. I landed in front of Mikey, facing the gang of men. My brothers and Splinter landed beside me.

"Today's forecast, partly cloudy with a chance of mutant ninjas." Raph smirked.

"That's so cheesy." I said, chuckling a little.

"Man, am I glad to see you guys!" Mikey exclaimed weakly.

I let my brothers and father step in front of me as I went over to help Mikey to his feet. The air was still too thin for him.

Raph was the first to try and throw a punch at one of the men. But his fist went right through the mans face.

Mikey gave me a nervous look. "Oh ya. Did I mention that they have ghosty thing going on?"

Leo glanced over his shoulder. "Would have been helpful."

Serling jumped down from the Hover Shell and landed in front of Mikey and I. Mikey shrieked and fell backwards. I couldn't help but let out a small giggle as I helped him back to his feet. "This is Serling. Just let him put the oxygen things on ya."

Serling didn't saying anything as he strapped Mikey in. He took a deep dreath as the air smoothly went into his lungs. "Much better."

"A little help here you two!" Leo called. Him and the others were struggling to fight the ghost gang.

"How do you fight something you can't touch?" Raph cried in frustration.

Splinter kneeled on the pavement. "Simple." He let two of the men put their hands on his shoulders before he grabbed their wrists and flung with onto the ground. "Let it come to you."

I smirked as a man threw a punch at me. I easily dodged it and grabbed his wrist, pulling it behind his back. I laughed as I pushed him into Donnie who jumped and kicked him in the face with both of his feet. As we knocked them all out, Leo and Raph grinned at me. We gave each other high fives. Cody brought the Hover Shell down on the pavement and landed it so we could board.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" We heard one of the gang members say behind us. "You freaks are on my list!" He put his hood over his head and disappeared by jumping through the wall and into the building next to us.

Raph laughed. "Even in 2105, we kick ass!"

Police sirens went off above us. Or peacekeeper sirens. Whatever. Master Splinter pointed to them. "Not exactly!"

"To the Hover Shell!" Leo yelled, herding us.

We flew off before the Peacekeepers could land. They didn't follow us.

* * *

"Nice of you to let us bunk here Cody." Leo said after we had arrived at the penthouse again. Leo, Donnie, Splinter, Cody and I were talking at the kitchen table in the dining room that was right off the living room. I sat down in one of the cushion chairs next to Splinter. Leo, Donnie and Cody were standing up.

"At least until we can figure out how we can recreate the time portal accident." Donnie added.

"You kidding? This is a dream come true for me!" Cody exclaimed. "I mean, you guys are the closest thing to family I have. I just hope you can adjust to life in 2105."

I frowned. Giving Cody a slight glare. Cody's excited smile turned a into a confused frown. "What?"

I clicked my nails on the table. "Look, I get it. We're the closest family you got. But you're being selfish."

"Jade, stop." Leo warned.

I glared at him. "No Leo. I won't stop. Didn't you hear what he just said? 'This is a dream come true for me'. I don't care of this was an accident, we were forced to come here because he has been obsessed with meeting us."

"This could be a good thing. Think about it. You and Mikey are still recovering from your kidnapping with the Shredder." Leo said softly.

"We are recovered." I grumbled.

"You and I both know that's not true."

_Our nightmares. _

"Maybe this is the healing and recovery both you and Mikey need. Before we return to take out the Shredder again." Leo continued. "Give it a chance. Cody didn't mean for us to come here."

Maybe. I know our travel here was an accident but Cody kept talking "me me me". _He _just couldn't believe we were here. _He _was just dying to see us in action. This is _his _dream come true. We were forced to come here because of his stupid invention. I looked over at Mikey. He wasn't ready to face Foot ninjas again and he certainly wasn't ready to face the Saki again. And as much as I said I was, I know I'm not ready to face the Shredder either. Maybe this is a good place to heal and recover.

I looked up at Leo. He was standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders. "Okay Leo. I'll try."

He gave my shoulders a squeeze. "That's my girl."

Cody gave us a confused look. "What do you mean 'your kidnapping with the Shredder'?"

"April and Casey didn't write about it in their journal?" I asked, a little snappier than I wanted it to come out.

Cody shook his head. "They wrote a lot about you guys. But not all the events of your lives."

I sighed. I wasn't going to give the gory details. But I figured since Cody asked, he should give an explanation since I knew Mikey and I still had awhile before we could go through one night soundlessly. "About a week and half ago, Mikey and I were kidnapped by our enemy, a gang of ninjas who call themselves the Foot and their leaders. We were both starved and tortured and we still have some nasty nightmares about the experience."

Cody frowned but nodded. He didn't ask me to elaborate even though I could tell he was itching to ask me what happened. I was thankful for that.

Mikey's excited voice interuppted my thoughts. He jumped into the couch in front of a holo form remote.

"Woah! Is the TV remote? I love the future!"

Raph pushed him. "No way! It's my day and my remote!"

Mikey glared and pushed him back. "Give me that!"

They started to bicker and wrestle on the ground. Master Splinter walked up to Cody. "I don't think we will have a problem adjusting at all." He smirked.


	10. New Enemies

**Thanks for everyone's patience! I would really appreciate reviews! **

**This chapter is based off of 'Obsolete' **

**Chapter 10: Rescue Mission**

* * *

I couldn't really sleep. My mind was too awake. I got up off the monster king sized bed in the spare bedroom wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. I glanced at the holographic clock that hovered by the bed. _5:57. _Not bad. I got about a solid 5 hours of sleep. Probably the most sleep I've in the past couple weeks.

I grabbed my Shell Cell, just in case then left the room. Mikey's room was next to mine. I cracked the door open and saw him in a deep sleep. He wasn't mumbling. He wasn't tossing and turning. He wasn't even twitching. He was just in a soundless sleep. This is the first night Mikey hasn't woken up with his nightmares. I smiled and shut the door gently before walking to the living room, where Leo was.

"You're up early." I remarked. He was meditating on the couch.

He opened an eye and smiled softly before closing it again. "So are you."

I say on the couch next to him. "How long have you been up?"

"About a half hour or so."

I chuckled. "You're not usually up before 8."

"Neither are you."

I smile faded slightly. "Ya well." I sighed.

Leo opened his eyes and looked at me. "You didn't sleep very well did you?"

I nodded. "It's odd thinking I woke up in 2014 then going to bed in 2105."

"That's not what I meant." Leo said, with a slightly worried tone.

"I didn't have nightmares Leo. I'm fine." I scoffed.

Leo had the 'I don't believe you' look on his face. "I know you're not fine."

"I was just... Worried about Mikey." I muttered. I wasn't lying. Not really. I _was _worried about Mikey.

"It's good that one of you can finally sleep a full night." He sighed.

When I didn't answer, Leo untucked his legs from his lotus position and put an arm around me, letting me rest my head on his shoulder. He didn't say anything. I think Leo knew what I really needed, was comfort. He seemed to always know what I needed, when I needed it. He knows me far too well.

We sat in silence for awhile until the lights in the room automatically turned on. It was 7:00. _Already?_ Raph walked into the room moments later. I had walked into the kitchen, in search of food as Leo went back to meditating.

"Morning." I have Raph a slight wave.

"Hey kiddo." Raph replied, opening the fridge. "Do you think the kid has beer?"

I laughed. "I highly doubt that."

Raph grumbled, pulling out a pitcher of some yellowish green liquid. It looked kinda like Mountain Dew. Roah picked the pitcher up and stared at the liquid. "What is this?"

"Pee?" I suggested, shrugging my shoulder in a joking manner.

Raph gave a me disgusted look. I laughed as Donnie and Mikey walked in. Looking the most well rested of all of us. Master Splinter followed clapping his hands together once.

"Practice."

We all groaned. _Now? _Serling walked in and glared at us.

"You're all still here then." He said in a mute tone.

I glanced at Leo beside me and smirked. All of us had the same idea. _Piss Serling off. _We all immediately started running around the room. Doing flips over furniture and creating chaos. Serling charged into the living room and started chasing us. It became a game when he tried grabbing us with his big metal hands.

"Allow me to explain the concept slowly. This is the _sitting _room." Serling cried.

We ignored him. Laughing at his frustration. Master Splinter held a spoon in his hand. "Leonardo!"

Splinter threw the spoon. Leo went onto a one handed handstand, catching the spoon between his feet. I jumped, doing a half backflip over his feet and grabbed the spoon from between his toes, landing on my feet. I aimed the spoon at Serlings head. It threw him off after it bounced off his forehead, cause if him to trip and fall. Leo walked up beside me and bumped his fist with mine. Mikey jumped onto Serlings stomach.

"You think this is bad, wait until we have weapons!" Mikey exclaimed to Serling. He started laughing as a rolling pin hit him in the stomach, causing him to fall hard to the ground.

Serling got to his feet and looked around the trashed living room. "This is a disaster."

Master Splinter put his hands on his walking stick. "Yes... Michelangelo should have seen that coming."

Mikey popped his head up, noticing Cody standing next to Splinter. "Hey! Look who rolled out of bed. What's up Co-"

Serling pushed Mikey and walked up to Cody. "Master! I tried to stop these barbarians. They have completely wrecked the room. I know you'll want to take immediate action. Just say the word."

Codys frown turned to a excited laugh after a few moments. "Do it again!"

Serling groaned. "My circuit boards weren't meant for this."

* * *

Cody decided to try and see if he could send us home. He brought us back to the lab and made us put weird looking goggles on our face.

"I feel like a mad scientist." Mikey commented, putting the goggles on.

"You're far from it." I joked, taking a swipe at him. We both laughed.

Cody was standing across from us in front of a small desk with buttons and a lever. "Time to initiate power up sequence!"

Donnie flipped a switch on the time portal we stood in front of. "It's ready Cody!"

"Alright! Hang on to your shells, cause you're going home!" Cody yelled, pulling the lever down.

The time window started to glow but then immediately started smoking. _Oh great. _It sputtered, making loud noises. Donnie grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. "Take cover!" He shouted, turning around and pulling me down with him. He used his body to shield me just as the time portal exploded.

Looking back up, the top and right side of the time portals frame had flown off. It was busted big time.

Cody threw a wrench ok the ground. "I've banged my head against this a million ways! But I can't seem to duplicate the accident that brought you here!" He slumped his shoulders. "Sorry guys."

_This is the first time he's tried. Good god. _

Master Splinter put a paw on Codys shoulder. "Patience precedes genius young one."

Cody scratched his head. "Ya know. Maybe if I had better stuff to work with... I mean the equipment here is all junk compared to what I could my hands on over at O'Neal tech."

"What's the deal with this company of yours anyway?" Raph asked.

"O'Neal tech?"

I rolled my eyes. "Unless you're speaking of a different company." Leo shot me a warning glance.

"... It specializes in advanced Terran technology, and I own it." Cody continued.

"Then can't ya call and ask them to whip up another time blender thingy?" Mikey asked.

"It's not that simple. Even though I own O'Neal tech, I'm too young to run it. My uncle does it for me..." Cody was saying until we heard the elevator door in the hallway open.

A voice rumbled in the hallway as it came into the room. "And how is my young ward this morning?"

Me and my brothers and Splinter had already silently jumped to a hiding spot. Just out of habit. I peeked out from behind a desk to see a huge man with glasses standing next to Cody. Cody looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Uh... Uncle Darius! Hi! You're probably wondering who I was-" he looked behind him but saw that we weren't there anymore. "Uh... Never mind."

Darius didn't seem to notice Cody's nervous behavior. He simply grabbed his shoulder. "Cody, Cheif Biggles informed me that you were out for a joyride yesterday, confiding with green aliens."

Cody tried his best to sound like he had no idea what Darius was talking about. "Me? Aliens?"

It bothered me that even in 2105 where they were different species of odd creatures that were considered normal, that my brothers were still the 'aliens'.

"You are a very important boy. There are people who want to... Take advantage of you. Why give them that chance?" They had started walking to the big room next to the lab with all the artifacts Cody had collected the was from our time in 2014. "You know, before your father passed, I made a solemn vow to protect you from the dangers of this cruel world." He went on about that promise but I zoned out.

I didn't like Darius. The vibe he carried was dark and untrustworthy. Leo, Donnie and Raph noticed my discomfort. We were hiding behind a bookshelf. I glanced at them. "Something is off about Darius." I didn't elaborate. But I saw that they nodded slowly, agreeing with me.

Darius had his hands on his hips and was glaring down at Cody. "What would he say about your behavior if he was still with us?" He had continued saying.

Cody hung is head. "You're right Uncle Darius. I'm sorry."

Darius didn't answer. He walked up to the full suit of Shredders armor. "I see you're still collecting these abizmal artifacts."

"Ya! Just for some new pieces too!"

"Nothing good comes of looking back child. Now, stay safe. Stay _here._" Darius walked out of the room and toward the elevator with Cody behind him. "I'll be in the office if you need anything."

Cody turned back around and jumped in surprise when he saw us standing behind him. "Woah! You gotta show me how you guys do that! But first I gotta show you guys O'Neal tech!"

Didn't Cody just hear what Darius said?

"Ah but you mustn't go out into the cruel dangerous world!" Mikey started immataing Darius voice. "You must stay safe! Stay inside!"

"As that Darius is a blowhard! Let's get going." Raph scoffed.

"What off he finds out?" Donnie asked.

"We're ninjas Donnie! We can totally-" Mikey started until I cut him off.

"Mikey, stop saying that. You are the _last _person to say that because everyone you do say that, _you're _the one who gets caught." I gave him a cheesy grin. I heard Donnie snicker behind me. He and I had plenty of our own inside jokes of when Mikey got caught on tape at Casey's farmhouse and attracted the psychotic Doctor Abigail Finn.

Mikey crossed his arms and glared at me. "You're never going to let me forget that are you?"

I shook my head. "Nope!" I started running out the door to the elevator. "I call shot gun!"

I heard my brothers running out of the room behind me shouting. I grinned and blew a raspberry at them as I managed to push the button to the garage, closing the doors before my brothers could reach the elevator.

* * *

Splinter had decided to stay behind at the penthouse with Serling. Apparently his favorite soap opera has survived all these long years. Donnie drove the Hover Shell this time. One, because he was a hell of a better driver than Cody and Two, because he was a hell a of a better driver than Cody.

"So your uncle never lets you leave your home?" Raph asked Cody one the way to O'Neal tech.

"Well... Not exactly. I have competitors, the best gaming systems and I have-"

"Blah blah blah." I said. "He didn't let you out out of the house did he?"

Cody nodded slowly. "Uh... Ya. He never let me out."

"Sounds familiar." Leo muttered in his seat.

I heard something click. Cody was saying something until I shushed him. He glared at me. "You know, I'm getting really sick of you interrupti-"

"Shut up!" I yelled.

_Something's wrong._

"Uh Jade is it your time of the mon-" Mikey started until Raph facepalmed himself.

"Please don't say that." He groaned.

_Something is very wrong. _

"What?" Mikey said, trying to be a little innocent. "It's not like I was trying to-"

"Guys... Knock it off!" Leo was staring at me. My hands were gripping the end of the armrests. "What is it?"

I gave him one extremely worried look. I opened my mouth to answer but the Hover Shell took a nose dive. We were going down.

"Someone hit the breaks!" Raph cried.

Just before the Hover Shell went head first into a highway, it pulled up.

Leo glanced at Donnie. Who looked like he was having trouble controlling the vehicle. "Nice save."

"That wasn't you, was it?" I asked.

Donnie shook his head. "I thinking something seized the controls. We're being Hovernapped."

"What?" Mikey looked absolutely terrified.

_Oh shit. _

"Mikey it's okay!" I said, trying to calm him down. He started panicking.

Cody buckled his seatbelt. "There's one thing we could try! An expieremental feature I built into the Hover Shell." I pressed a blue button on the side of his seat. "But we're not supposed to do this in the air!"

We all immediately pressed the blue buttons by our seats. Another pair of seat belts that crossed over our shoulders and chests strapped us in. Cody turned a handle on the dashboard next to him. The whole front of the Hover Shell broke off from the back half. I understood what Cody meant by 'We're not supposed to do this in the air' because the front end of the Hover Shell couldn't fly after being unattached. He did another nose dive to the ground. A little bumpy, but it wasn't a big drop.

"What's flying now is a empty shell." Cody said proudly.

Mikey relaxed. Raph smirked at Cody and nodded approvingly. "Nice save kid."

"Stay sharp." Leo warned us. "Whoever tried to pull that stunt isn't going to take very long to figure out that they only kidnapped half an empty ship."

I unstrapped the extra seat belts over my chest. I looked back to see Cody staring at me. "What?" I asked

"You knew something bad was about to happen. How?"

I turned back and faced forward in my seat. "Call it a sixth sense."

Cody must have gave Raph, Mikey and Leo a questioning look. They didn't elaborate on any of it.

"Long story." Raph simply said.

Cody didn't stop. "But _how _did you know?"

I snapped my head around. "Let me ask you something. Was I in April and Casey's journal?"

He nodded.

"What all did it say about me?"

"Not a lot. You helped April with her artifact business and your the turtles sister. I mean there's not a whole lot of personal stuff on you. But it did mention something about your... Powers." He replied, now starting to remember.

"You're really slow for a brainiac." I scoffed, turning back around in my seat.

"But how did you know there was something wrong with the Hover Shell? What are your powers?" He asked rapidly. I didn't answer.

"Is she always like this?"

I heard Raph answer. "Tuesday is usually our day off. It's her free time and she gets kinda cranky when she doesn't get to be a lazy ass on the couch."

I chuckled to myself. That _was _true. I wanted to see the new episode of Supernatural tonight but I had to wait because i was currently in 2105. I knew Donnie was pretty bummed about it too.

I just wanted to go home. I don't want, and I don't like explaining my past. Not even to my myself.

* * *

Out of habit. My brothers and I stayed out of sight as we went through the corridors of O'Neal tech. As two doors slid open to the lab Cody wanted us to go to, Raph peeked inside the room.

"All clear."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Guys. It's my company remember? We don't have to do the _ninja _sneak."

"We're not even supposed to be here." I grumbled.

"With what just happened, I think it's best if we're discrete. Okay?" Leo said.

Cody chuckled. "Discrete? Hate to tell you guys but, I already called ahead."

"Cody Jones." A voice said. It was a girl about me and Cody's age. With turquoise skin wearing a purple skin right suit and a set of pretty cool looking rollerblades that just had one wheel. "The prince himself. Down from his castle. And with friends! Hi, Starlee Hambrath. O'Neal tech intern."

Me and my brothers all gave a mute tone "Hi." Back to her.

"So much for discrete." Leo mumbled as we filed into the lab. I chuckled.

"A little young to be working with such serious technology, aren't you?" Donnie asked curiously.

Starlee smiled. "Girls mature faster than boys. Especially girls from the planet Obatron wit five times the brain capacity." She tapped her head. Donnie smiled.

Starlee seemed like a really cool girl. Plus I was kinda happy that there was another girl that i could maybe bond with. Cody stood next to Starlee. "See? Told you guys would like it, seeing that O'Neal tech was founded by April, Casey and... You Donatello.

Donnie lit up. "I helped build all this? Woah!"

Raph slapped Donnie's shoulders. "Get over yourself genius." He chuckled.

"So what's on the menu today guys?" Starli asked.

Cody pulled out a small remote box. "Where can we get something to replace this?"

Starlee smiled and rollerbladed over to a big machine in the back of the room. "Come with me! This is a Transcendental Lane, or as we call it, The TL. It takes the users mental engrams and translates them into executable commands. Then the mechs go to work." She explained.

_So cool. _

Raph and Mikey looked completely lost. They both stared at Donnie, waiting for an easier explanation. Donnie looked annoyed. "It turns your thoughts into things."

"Ohhhhh."

"You need parts for a special project." Starlee continued. "This TL can crank them out in minutes."

Raph walked up to the TL. "Can it make ninja weapons?"

Starli smirked. "This bad boy can make the best ninja weapons you can think of."

All of a sudden, the windows of the skylight crashed. Four men crashed through and landed on the ground in front of us. They looked like they were half man, half bird. Their wings and hawk like faces looked like they were made of metal. In fact, they looked liked the ancient Japanese winged warriors, Inuwashi Gunjin.

"No way..." I murmured.

"Let me guess. Our whoopee kidnappers." Raph scowled. "What's the matter? Kidnapping half an empty shell wasn't good enough for you?"

"Attack!" One of them shouted. The rest of them jumped forward. I pulled Cody and Starlee back as my brothers took on the Gunjins. They were strong. And considering that they were metal, it was difficult to use their fists to hurt them.

"Man I really wish we had our weapons right about now!" Donnie yelled.

A Gunjin threw Leo against the wall. Another slammed Raph and Mikey on the ceiling. We were getting hammered. I stood in front of Cody and Starlee as one of the Gunjins approached us. "What is it you want?" I snarled.

It glared over my shoulder. "Something only the boy can provide. Our freedom."

He lunged but after I had managed to kick him away. Another of the Dunjins and up from behind, snatching Cody off the ground by his arm and started flying toward the broken skylight in the ceiling. I ran and jumped, managing to grab a hold of Cody's other arm.

"Let go of him!" I cried. The Dunjin just kept flying. He flew straight out of the hole in the ceiling and stopped. All the Dunjins followed, two of them grabbed and pulled me off of Cody's arm. I struggled but since we were in the air, it was useless. We were directly above the skylight we had flown out of. I could see my brothers below me.

"Jade!" Cody yelled.

The last Dunjin, the only one who had spoken, just looked at the two holding me and nodded. They released their grip on my arms and let me fall through the glass ceiling. It shattered but my fall was stopped abruptly when Donnie had managed catch me in his arms. Or, he tried to catch me. As soon as he caught my weight, he fell to floor as well, landing on his shell with me on his plastron.

"Ow." Donnie groaned. He looked like the wind was knocked out of him.

"Credits for trying Donnie. Thanks." I smiled gratefully, rolling off his stomach and onto the floor. Raph and Mikey helped Donnie up as Leo came over helped me to my feet.

I looked back up at the shattered skyline. "Well, that didn't work."

"You could have gotten yourself killed kiddo." Raph mumbled, walking up beside me as the others started back over to help Starlee up, who was laying on the ground, struggling to get to her feet.

"Wouldn't be the first time." I said back. Raph didn't answer.

"Does anything fly in this place?" Leo asked Starlee.

"Hanger bay. Three levels up." She replied, rubbing her head.

"Fly?" Raph started. "Those bird brains are gone and we have no idea where!" All of a sudden, the turtles metal arm guards started lighting up, blinking like a alarm clock going off. "Hey? What's the beeping?"

Raph pulled his arm up closer to his face and tapped the blinking arm guard. Serling appeared as a small holographic form. "Dare I ask what happened?" He asked sarcastically, like he knew this was going to happen.

"No time to play buckethead!" Raph started yelling. "Cody is-"

"Gone. I know." Serling said. "He had all your viral packs linked by proximity beacons." A holographic map with a blinking red light apparead. "You can track him within a ten kilometer radius." The holographic map disappeared, replacing Serling.

"Call whatever passes here for the police and relay the beacon signal to them." Leo ordered, ending the call. "Alright, let's move!"

"What good is following them if we're just going to get our asses handed to us again?" I asked.

"We need an edge!" Donnie agreed, glancing at Starlee. "Like maybe the best ninja weapons we can think of?"

Starlee let out a small smirk and skated to the TL. "Well then, lets get to work."

I went first. I stood between two metal poles and closed my eyes. Imagining my utility belt along with 8 shurikens and my wakizashis. I even imagined my semi automatic handgun. I could hear the machine at work. I could hear my brothers gasp after Starlee said to open my eyes. A black belt held 8 beautiful throwing knives was hovering in front of me. To my right, a pair of black wakizashis and a black handgun hovered. I grabbed them all and equipped myself while admiring them. I could tell that these were built with no flaws. Out of all the weapons I've ever owned, these were definitely the best of them all. But I was guessing that was because I had just used a high tech machine to create them.

Pretty soon all of my brothers had upgraded deadly weapons, except for Mikey. He had created a suit of armor. with heavy cannons attached to it.

"Goodbye nunchucks, hello Mikeytron 6000!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Overcompensate much?" Starlee asked.

"Alright guys, up to the hanger bay!" Leo shouted running out of the room with Raph, Donnie and Mikey behind him. I looked back at Starlee.

"Let me make a pair of nunchucks for Mikeytron 6000."

Starlee nodded her head. "He's gonna need them I'm guessing."

* * *

"Down there!" Donnie pointed from his hovercraft. Each of us had taken one. Starlee convinced the dock manager that Cody Jones himself had given us permission to use them.

Cody was on a balcony with his wrists tied to the metal chain link fence that separated him from a 12 story foot drop. Before I had even touched the ground after jumping off my hovercraft, I had thrown two shurikens, hitting two of the Dunjins in the shoulders. We didn't hesitate with our attack. I managed to recover my shurikens, giving the Dunjins a few nasty hits along the way. Mikeys armor didn't take long to fall apart of course. I threw him his nunchucks and he gave me a sassy smile.

"Thanks sis!"

I laughed. "Mikeytron 6000 just isn't as nice as those beauty's."

Leo had freed Cody from his restraints, but only to have Cody snatched again by who was acting like the leader of all the Dunjins.

"Regroup around the boy! "We must not lose him!" He shouted to his companions.

Mikey ran and jumped, grabbing the Dunjins legs. He lost control and hit the chain link fence at the end of the balcony. I pulled Cody to his feet and put him behind me and my brothers. the fight was over before it hardly began. All the Dunjins were at the end of the balcony. Leo walked up to the leader and held a katana blade at his throat.

"Alright talk. "What do you want with Cody?"

The Dunjin weakly looked up. "He wanted the boy under his control."

"He?" I asked, glancing at Donnie who shrugged.

"He wanted you five to be-" The Dunjin was cut off by the sudden electrocution that started around his body. All four of the Dunjins screamed in pain as they squirmed. Leo must have been too close because his body was also electrocuted.

"Leo!" I yelled, starting forward until I was pushed to the ground. Darius ran past and pulled Leo away from the Dunjin before there was bright light that blinded us all. Looking back up, the Dunjins were replaced by stone capsules.

"Uncle Darius!" Cody cried happily.

Darius glanced at Leo. "I take it I helped the right one Cody?"

Cody suddenly looked a little confused."Ya… How did you-"

"Serling. He alerted me after he called the Peacekeepers." Darius said just as sirens went off above us.

Peacekeeper hovercrafts were above us with Chief Biggles leading them. He flew his hovercraft over to one of the stone capsules and tapped it. "Hello, hello, hello. What's all this then?"

Darius began explaining the events of the capsules with Cody. I turned back to my brothers. "You can't tell me that wasn't pretty convenient timing?"

They nodded. "He shows up just as the birds took their swan dive." Raph growled.

"And before they started talking. We're going to keep an eye on Uncle Darius." Leo finished.

* * *

Serling had picked us up and brought us back to the penthouse. We explained what had happened to Cody at O'Neal tech. Leaving out our concerns about Darius.

"Inuwashi Gunjins."

"How did you know that?" Cody asked curiously.

"I remember reading about them in some ancient Japanese transcripts that Sensei had in his collection." I replied.

Splinter nodded. "They were said to be fearsome winged warriors in Japan many ages ago."

"I thought those were just myths though?" Raph said.

"Obviously not." I gave back, receiving a glare from Raph.

"I want to know they were talking about earlier. About someone wanting me under their control." Cody spoke up. "I can't get it off my mind."

"Sounds familer." I mumbled to myself, louder than I wanted it to be. Cody glanced at me.

"What?"

I fumed, running my hands through my hair. "Uh... Nothing."

He didn't take it. "No. What sounds familiar about that? How could you possibly know what it feels like to be wanted by someone out there? They want to use me! Nobody wants to use you!" Cody's voice started to raise.

My face instantly got red. This boy was treading on thin ice. "How could I _possibly _know what it feels like? I was taken hostage two weeks ago with Michelangelo because our biggest threats wanted to extract my powers for themselves. We were starved, beaten and restrained for three days. Mikey had to watch me revive our worst enemy so that I could be used for his own domination." I snarled in Cody's face. I felt Raph pull me back.

Mikey was sitting at the kitchen table next to me. His elbows were resting on the table while his face was in his hands. I could tell he was trying his best to block out my words. Remembering our capture was still hard in him. I hated to bring it up again but I think I made my point.

Cody stared at me in disbelief. "I... I didn't know."

"No shit you didn't know. You're not the only pour soul in this world who's wanted." I growled, leaning back in my chair.

"Chill." I heard Raph mutter in my ear roughly. I rolled my eyes and glared at Cody again.

"What happened?" Cody asked. I swear he doesn't learn.

I didn't answer. I just looked away, wanting to end the conversation. I heard Leo sigh, taking a seat at the table in the kitchen next to me. "We were on patrol and came across a gang called the Purple Dragons unloading a truck full of explosives and firearms in a warehouse off the East River. We decided to blow up the the supplies using a time bomb but we were cutting it close with the escape causing Mikey and Jade to be seperated from Raph, Donnie and I. We got a hold of them a few minutes later with our Shell Cells and we asked them to meet up with us but after we had hung up, the emergency tracker and alarm started to go off. We weren't fast enough to get to where they were though. They were thrown into a van and were out of our reach for the next three days until we could figure out where they were. During then... Well." Leo looked back over at me.

Although my brothers and father vaguely know what happened, only Mikey and I had the memories of all the gory details. We didn't share what they did to us. What the Shredder did to me and what Mikey had to watch is something they really don't know.

"One of my powers, is the ability to bring back the dead. And another is multiple lives. I was forced to bring back the Shredder after I had killed him months before and then he killed me as his own payback. Mikey was forced to watch me die three times. I was stabbed, shot and beaten to death. Both me and Mikey were tortured. The Shredder was going to break me before he could use me." I saw my brothers and father flinch. Mikey stared the table, frowning. But he nodded slightly when i mentioned how he was forced to watch me die. Cody was in shock. Even Serling didn't have a smartass comment for this situation. "So don't tell me that I don't know how it feels to be wanted for someone's control."

I got up from the table and walked out of the room. Heading for the roof where Master Splinter had mentioned a garden. A nice place to mediate. I tried for awhile but my mind just wasn't set. I gave up eventually and walked over to the edge of balcony, leaning against the railing. The roof overlooked the entire city. It was quite the view and since it was dark, the lights lit it up. And although it was pretty spectacular, it wasn't like the skyline at home. Nothing could beat that.

I heard someone behind me. I didn't look to see who it was. I knew it was Leonardo. I could tell it was him without even looking. He walked over next to me and leaned against the railing.

"How are you holding up?" He asked softly.

I shrugged. "Fine. I'd be more worried about Mikey than me."

Leo chuckled. "No. Mikey and Raph are playing some game called Helix to get his mind on something else."

I rolled my eyes, smirking but I didn't answer. I was waiting for some small lecture about getting in Cody's face and than taking off after I made my point. But Leo didn't say anything. I glanced at him.

"What happened after I left?"

"Not much. Cody didn't have anything to say really. He just said sorry and left to go to the lab with Don." He gave back.

"I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm just sick of... Of this place. This city. We haven't even been here for a week and I want to go home in our time." I muttered.

Leo sighed and put his arm around my shoulders. "As do I. But we need to make the best of it until Don and Cody can fix the time window." I leaned my head against his plastron.

"How long do you think we'll be stuck here?" I asked.

He let out a short sigh again, resting his head on top of mine. "I don't know Jade. I really don't know."

* * *

Master Splinter stood inside of the doorway leading to the balcony on the roof, watching Leonardo and Jade. Being a ninja master, he could stand by and not be detected easily. But he knew Jade would sense him there of he stood by too long. Splinter wasn't one for eavesdropping on others but he couldn't help but admire his son and daughters relationship. They were the closest of all of his children, nearly doing everything together.

He could sense that Jade was still deeply troubled. Her memory haunted her of when she was forced into resureccting Oroku Saki. She blamed herself for getting herself and Michelangelo into that situation and Splinter sure she wouldn't forgive herself for what happened. She may be the youngest, but she was fiercely protective of all her brothers, just as her brothers are protective of her. Raphael, Leonardo and Donatello were barely able to sleep when their two youngest siblings were captured.

Michelangelos personality made it easier for him to cope. His video games and movies and jokes helped him heal quick. Jades only way of healing was through her brothers and himself. But Splinter was worried. He feared the next encounter with the Shredder if they for home would be life threatening. The Shredders strength was growing. And quickly.

Splinter feared he wouldn't be able to protect his children. And with the future battles to come, he felt he would fail as not only a teacher, but as a father.


	11. Reality Check

**Starting this story, I actually didn't realize how much I enjoyed writing. This story has become my number one project. **

**But I still need your guys input! Obviously don't make it too harsh, but a little criticism is great. I would like to know what makes you guys happy and what you think is annoying. **

**This chapter goes along the lines of the episode 'Home Invasion' but it's going to have a twist. So let me just say I don't own **_**Tomb Raider. **_**That game belongs to Square Enix and Sony. Great game btw: you should play it. **

**Hint hint. **

**Sorry but I enjoy writing this shit like this.**

**Chapter 11: Reality Check**

* * *

"Really Donatello? How many times do I have to tell you? That was a Cuisine 9000 Kitchen Bot, not your personal science project!" Serlings voice had an annoyed edge to it. He was standing behind Donnie next to me and Mikey, holding a tray of chicken strips.

Donnie was digging into a robot's chest with a screwdriver on the kitchen floor. "Don't bust a wire Serling, I'm just tweaking this unit so it will make the chicken strips crispier." He turned a knob on the robot, causing fire to burst out of its chest like a flame thrower. Donnie yelped and quickly turned the knob back.

The fire burnt the tray of chicken strips in Serlings hands to ash. He gasped as the ash floated to the ground.

"A little too crispy!" I said, staring at the ash on the floor.

"You softshelled idiot! You nearly fried my circuits!"

Mikey smirked and leaned against the counter. "Hey. If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen bot."

I bursted out laughing while Donnie groaned and looked over his shoulder. "Okay that was lame even for you." Donnie glanced at me. " I can't believe you found that funny."

I put my hands up in surrender, still laughing until Raph shouted at us from the dining room table. "Yo! Would you three knuckleheads keep it down? Im trying to read."

"I was wondering why your lips were moving." Mikey smirked, sarcasm poured out of his mouth.

I started laughing hysterically again. Donnie joined in this time. Raph got up, slamming the holographic newspaper before charging at Mikey and tackling him to the ground. They rolled around on the kitchen floor throwing punches and spitting out cuss words like teenage girls.

"What's going on?" Cody was standing behind us with Leo and Master Splinter, who didn't look amused. Raph and Mikey immediately got off each other and stood up.

"Uhm… Nothing."

Leo just rolled his eyes. My face was still red from laughing.

"Okay... Well I got a surprise for you guys. Come with me!" Cody turned around and started walking back down the hallway. We followed and went through his lab to another another small hallway with a pair of sliding doors at the end.

"Okay Cody, I'll bite. What's the big surprise?" Raph asked.

Cody didn't answer until the sliding doors opened. Inside was a huge room, with a catwalk that led to big dome. "What do ya think? It's a new dojo for you guys to train in. Serling helped me build it."

I stared at the enormity of the domed dojo as we walked through the doors. The inside was plain white. "How did you guys build this so fast?"

Cody shrugged. "I have my ways. This _is_ the future of course." He said with a cocky smile.

_Right. There he goes again about how great the future is. _I thought sourly.

He pulled out a remote and clicked it. The room changed and we were suddenly standing in the streets of the old New York. I didn't realize how much I missed it until now. I admired the dark alleys and the apartment complexes with the fire escape attached to them. It looked so real. Me and Raph shared a sad glance. We both missed home the most.

"The dojo is a holo simulator with pre-programmed battle scenarios" Cody flicked the remote, changing our surroundings to the snowy mountains. "And five hundred and twenty three high resolution background modes." He changed the surroundings to a town that could be in an old wild west movie.

"Kickin' graphics!" Mikey exclaimed. "It's like dojo-rama extreme! Sweet!"

"Forget it." Raph grunted. "Just give me a wooden post and a practice dummy."

Cody held up the remote. "Sure." He said smugly as we found ourselves in the most familiar place to us.

The dojo at home.

We all gasped. Raph just turned and glared at Cody. "That's not what I meant!"

Cody hung his head and the room turned white again.

"Raphael! A true warrior must always learn to adapt to new situations and surroundings." Master Splinter started to chastise. "Besides, Cody has worked hard to provide this space, to sharpen your ninja skills." He put a hand on Codys shoulders. "You should be grateful."

Knowing he couldn't compete with Splinter, Raph crossed his arms. "Ya I know. Thanks kid."

Cody just nodded in return.

"And as a thanks for your generosity Cody, Leonardo and Jade have my blessing to start your own ninja training." Splinter smiled. Cody cheered.

"What?" My jaw dropped and I stared at Splinter. "Sensei! I didn't ag-"

Leo cut me off. "Jade, don't you remember our talk?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

No, we didn't have a talk. But I'm guessing this was his way of helping me heal. I was grateful for him trying, but the thought of having to spend my time helping train Mister Spoiled Rotten made me sick. I knew helping Leo would please Splinter to the core though.

"Oh ya… I remember." I mumbled.

Cody was still cheering, performing clumsy kicks and punches, naming off random ninja moves. "... Five fingered death blow! Hidden tiger attack! Hiyah!"

Leo chuckled and grabbed Codys shoulders, shaking his head. He sat down in front of him, gesturing me to come sit by him. I glanced at Master Splinter who had already walked out of the dojo and sighed. Cody sat down in front of us, staring eagerly at what we were going to do.

_Boy, he's going to love lesson one. _

"We start at the beginning. Meditating on the connection between the body and the mind." Leo said, closing his eyes.

I closed mine and let my thoughts disappear. I had already mastered mediation along with Leo. When mastered, your mind will picture yourself where you chose to have your final mediation location. I have chosen a small teahouse in Japan that overlooked fields of Cherry Blossom trees. The teahouse didn't have walls. It just had a roof with a small table in the underneath in the grass. There was always hot tea on it with little teacups. A true master of mediation can share their location with others who have also mastered it. Leo, Master Splinter and I all had the same final location. We mediated together often here.

* * *

_Leo and I overlooked the Cherry Blossom Trees. I glanced at him and smirked. _

"_He's going to last 10 seconds." _

_Leo rolled his eyes. "He's just beginning to learn. He will-" _

_We heard Cody's voice ring in the air. "This is not what I had in mind…"_

_I gave Leo a smug smile. "Told you."_

"_Come on." He said, annoyed._

* * *

I opened my eyes. The lights in the dojo were flickering. Cody was staring at the remote next to him while my brothers and Splinter were still in the room, giving each other confused glances. Mikey picked up the remote and pressed some of the buttons. Nothing happened.

"Hey Cody, the controls don't work."

Cody stood up and grabbed the remote. "Probably just a power surge. I'll have to reboot the whole system."

"Awh, you should boot the whole thing!" Raph scowled.

Cody walked over to a control panel, with Donnie behind him. "You guys just hang tight, we'll get the dojo back up in a minute."

After five minutes, Raph was pacing. "What's taking so long?" He yelled at Donnie and Cody. Neither of them answered, getting too into the wiring of the control panel to notice his complaining.

"Patience Raphael." Leo used his leaderly tone.

"Ya. Not my strong my strong suit. I'm outta here." He walked toward the exit until it closed automatically in front of him. Raph banged his fist on the door. "What's the deal?"

Red electricity came out of the corners of the dojo and scaled the walls up the center of the ceiling. It created the holo form of a face that hovered above us who started laughing. "You're not going anywhere!"

I glanced over at Donnie, who shrugged.

"What the hell is that?" Raph yelled angrily.

Mikey looked worried. "Why do I get the feeling she's laughing at us and not with us?"

"We're not laughing at all Mikey!" I snapped.

The face looked over at Cody and Donnie. She had a electronic female voice. "Subject Cody Jones interfacing."

_Now he has computer viruses after him? _

"I am Viral." The face spoke. "A quantity platform, digital over constructor of power. I am here to extract information from the O'Neal tech mainframe."

"O'Neal tech? What do you want with-" Cody started to ask until Viral interjected him.

"The O'Neal tech building is off the power grid. I came here to your penthouse, the only location in the city that has direct wiring connection to O'Neal tech's central banks."

"Ya, with about a billion firewalls and exponentially encrypted security." Codys voice turned a little sassy. "Can we say, unbreakable?"

"Indeed. Unless you give me the password." Viral electric face smirked.

"And why would I do that?" Cody asked, his lip curling.

"Because if you don't. I will destroy you and your pets." She glanced at all of us.

Cody stood his ground with his fists closed. "No."

She laughed. "Very well. Toying with you all will get the password for me."

Before I knew what I was doing, I laughed back at her. Everyone, including Viral gave me a strange look. Viral's face disappeared from the ceiling. But in front of me, appeared a bright red, faceless figure. "What are you laughing at, girl?"

I kept a smug smile on my face. "You're not a very strong virus if you can't crack a password but can take over an entire system like this dojo. I mean, you must be some kind of ametuer."

"Jade…" Leo started to warn me.

Even though Viral didn't have a face, I could sense her glaring at me. "Oh really? An amateur? Well then. I'll make you a deal. If you can survive my game, Ill leave you be and we can forget about this."

I raised an eyebrow. "And If I don't survive?"

She laughed. "You would be dead so it wouldn't matter. In fact you would all be dead!"

"Then what's the point of trying to get a password if we're already dead?" I asked, skeptical.

Viral pointed at Cody. "He can stop it all at any time. He just needs to say the password."

"What if I die?" Cody spoke up finally.

"You won't." Viral disappeared without waiting for an answer. "Good luck, vertebrats.

The white walls of the dojo disappeared and were replaced by silver steel walls. We found ourselves in a small room with a desk and a army cot in it.

"So where are we?" Mikey asked even though he should know that none of us knew the answer.

There was a tan folder on the table. A red marker had labeled the outside; _Mission._

"Guys check this out." I grabbed the folder and opened it up. Inside was a map, a picture and a piece of paper with Japanese transcript on it. I pulled out the map and opened it up. It was a map of the coast of China with a big red triangle that stretched from Japan to the Philippines in the Pacific Ocean. I recognized it. And I'm quite sure that me and Donnie were the only ones who did know what it was.

"The Dragons Triangle." Donnie breathed out.

"What?" Leo asked, scrunching his brow from behind his blue mask.

"It's called the Dragons Triangle. Basically the Bermuda Triangle of Japan." We were all huddled over the map. I looked back the folder where there was the Japanese transcript. Luckily for my and my brothers, Splinter had taught us Japanese.

"The Legend of Yamatai." I read out loud. I gasped lightly. "There's no way." I shared a glance with Donnie.

"Yama-what?" Mikey chirped.

"Yamatai. It's the name of ancient Japanese country known as Wa."

"So maybe that's where we're headed?" Cody asked. His eyes still glued to the map.

"Headed?" Raph scowled. "We aren't headed anywhere."

Donnie gestured to the room. "This is some kind of living quarters for a boat if you ask me."

I shook my head. "If that's the case. Then theres a problem. Yamatai's location has never really been discovered. Its been the most contentious topic in Japanese history for generations. But historians and archeologists think the island is within the Dragons Triangle."

"So I'm guessing that's not a good thing." Leo sighed.

"I'll say!" Mikey said. "If it's like the Bermuda Triangle voodoo crap, we're screwed!"

I put the paper down and found a picture in the folder. It was a Japanese woman. A queen. It was labeled _Queen Himiko. _

"This gets weirder and weirder." I muttered, showing everyone the picture. Mainly Donnie.

"Himiko." He breathed.

Raph snatched the picture, squinting at it. "What's the deal with her?"

"Queen Himiko was the first and last queen of Yamatai. In the late Yayoi period, a Chinese historian named Sanguo Zhi recorded Yamatai in the domain of Queen Himiko. She was a beautiful yet ruthless woman who ruled Yamatai and who also possessed great powers. She was believed to be able to communicate with the spirit world and to control the sun and rain. She was basically worshipped by her people. The called her the Sun Queen."

"Well she doesn't sound that bad." Cody muttered. "How could she have ruled for thousands of years?"

"Well here's the twist. She passes her soul through the generations. Himiko picks a suitable young woman to live in luxury with her until prior to her death. Then she pours her soul into the woman's body, therefore extending her lifespan." I answered. "Now here's the bad part of the legend."

"Uh oh."

"Himiko picked a young gel named Hoshi to be her successor. However, Hoshi discovered what the ceremony of the Himitos death would do to her. So for the sake of all the young women after her, she killed herself during the ritual. With the ritual half complete, Himitos soul was stuck in a half dead body. She grew angry and started to use storms as a way to mature no one could ever escape from the island."

"That's... Kinda... well that sucks." Raph mumbled after I finished. Putting the picture of Himiko back on the table.

"How did you know all that?" Cody asked.

I shrugged. "I spend a lot of time reading."

Raph groaned. "Nerd"

"Well now what?" Mikey asked.

"I think we should see what is happening outside this damn room." I suggested.

Everyone agreed. Leo asked me and Cody to be the first to step out of the room since we didn't know if there was anyone else with us, even though this was just supposed to be a simulation. I opened the door the led to a short hallway. Just like a ship. Down the hallway was a door that led to the deck. Outside we found ourselves on a deserted deck.

In the middle of the god damn ocean.

"Well this is just great!" Roah threw his arms up in the air.

"These are pretty intense graphics." I stated.

Cody looked uncomfortable. "I don't think these are graphics anymore. The dojo was only supposed to simulate small areas. Not this."

"How could Viral have done that?" Leo asked.

Cody shrugged. I sighed. "Real fucking awesome." A girl screamed suddenly. Mikey cast a suspicious glance at me. I rolled my eyes. "That wasn't me!"

"No, it was her." Cody pointed behind me.

A Japanese girl with short hair was standing by the door that we had just come from. She was staring in horror at all of us.

"Wh-who are you?" She cried, leaning her back against the door.

"I'm Hamato Jade. This is Cody and these are my brothers. Leonardo, Donatello. Michelangelo and Raphael." I gestured to each of them.

She looked completely lost. She squinted her eyes. "Brothers?" She said hysterically. "But they're... They're-"

"Ya long story." I said cutting her off. I wasn't in the mood to let her point out the obvious. "Who are you?"

She gulped. "Nishiruma Samantha."

I tried my best out on a nice smile and walked over to her with my hand extended. "Nice to meet you Sam."

She hesitated, but eventually shook my hand back. "And I you Jade."

"Can you tell us where we are?"

Sam cocked her head to the side giving me a curious look. "We're on the Endurance headed for the Dragons Triangle."

I glanced around the ship. "So where is everyone?"

Sams face got pale. "That's what I was hoping to find up in deck. The whole crew is missing. You're the only ones with me on this whole damn ship."

"Great." I heard Raph mutter behind me.

Sam still looked a little weary of the turtles, but her body relaxed as we kept talking. My brothers and Cody came and stood next to me.

"So why is this ship headed for the Dragons Triangle?" Donnie asked her.

"Don't you already-" Sam started until I cut her off. I was getting really good at interrupting people now a days.

"Again. Long story." I said. "I'll tell you sometime later on."

Sam didn't look very convinced but she went on anyway. "Me and my crew mates are looking for Yamatai. I'm a descendent according to a lot of research."

"But no one knows where the island of Yamatai is?" I questioned.

Sam did the 'Well sorta' head nod. "There was a group of Japanese historians that claimed they found the island. When World War Two came around, It went under Japanese military occupation. When they allied themselves with Germany, they allowed a Nazi scientific expedition to study there. The goal of the scientists was to use the power of the storms created around the island for their own use. But nobody has heard from them since."

"Wow." Both Donnie and I said in unison.

"And you said you're a descendent?" Leo asked with his signature arms crossed.

Sam nodded. "This expedition was going to help me find the island. But now I'm stuck with you guys... Uh, no offense."

"None taken." I said raising a hand in surrender. I glanced over my shoulder at the never ending leagues of water. "So where exactly are we now?"

Sam opened the door the led down below the deck and waved for us to follow her. "I'll show you. We have GPS in the office."

The walk was lot longer than I thought it would take. Since the ship was so big, the office just happened to be on the other side of the ship. Inside, papers were scattered on one big wall. Pictures of Himiko and a huge map with the Dragons Triangle drawn in big red marker. Sam walked over to the desk where she held up a satellite GPS. She turned it on a press's a few buttons, waiting for it to get a signal.

I walked over to the wall of the big map, studying the enormity of the Dragons Triangle. Sam came up behind me and pointed to a area of water that a few hundred miles off the coast of Japan.

"We just entered the Dragons Triangle." Sam stated.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Mikey mumbled.

"Well... Its getting dark. Maybe we should rest for awhile?" I suggested.

"Who's navigating the ship?" Donnie asked, his eyes started filling with worry.

"It's auto piloted right now. We should have to worry too much until tomorrow afternoon." Sam replied. "I'll show you the rooms where you could sleep in."

My brothers shook their heads. "I'm not tired." They all said in unison, giving each other glances.

"Me either. I'll go up on deck." Cody said.

I shrugged, looking back at Sam. "I guess I'm the only one who wants to rest for awhile."

Sam nodded and led us out of the office. We walked a ways until we reached the corridor that led up to the deck. She opened up a room that was on the far end of the hall. It had a small bed with a desk.

"Here." Sam said softly. I thanked her.

Leo stood in the doorway. "We'll be on deck when you wake up."

I nodded. "Okay."

Leo smiled softly before shutting the door. I sighed and collapsed on the bed. I was exhausted. I'm sick of being in these god awful situations. Why can't my family and I have one normal day? No time traveling. No kidnappings. We deserve that much. Maybe if we ever get home, we could go on vacation to Casey's farmhouse for a week of two.

_If _we ever get home.

I closed my eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

The room jerked. My eyes snapped open just as I was thrown from my bed. I slammed into the desk that was next to the bed. I cried out from the impact and didn't even register the water on the floor for a second.

_Shit shit shit!_

The room was rocking back and forth making it hard to stand up. But I finally managed to get to my feet. I opened the door to leading to the long corridor, water was everywhere. But the most horrifying part was that half the hallway was gone. I could see the other half of the hallway but it had broken off and there was large gap from my side of the hallway to the other. It was completely down pouring. Thunder boomed and lightning lit up the dark skies.

The ship was sinking.

I heard someone scream my name. But it was hard to tell because of the storm. My side of the ship had started to sink backward, causing the hallway to have a slant. It was getting hard to stand up straight.

"Jade!"

I recognized the voice. It was Leo's. He was on the other half of the ship, in the other half of the hallway. He had one hand on the wall and another outstretched toward me.

I couldn't hear what he said next but I could read his lips. _Jump!_

I didn't know if I could make the jump. The gap was big. Plus it would be difficult with the water that slushed in the hallway. But I didn't really have a choice. I ran as hard as I could, getting to the end of the broken hallway, I jumped. Everything seemed to go in slow motion after the jump. I outstretched my arm, reaching for his. I could see Raph and Donnie behind Leo. I heard them scream my name.

Then I felt Leo's hand grip my wrist. I gripped his. Below me, the oceans waves crashed. I could see the inside of every room that had broken off with the other half of the ship.

"Hold on!" Leos yell competed with the storm.

The rain made my hand slippery. I started to lose my grip.

"Leo!" I screamed, trying my best to grasp his wrist. But it wasn't any use. My hand slipped through his and I fell. I heard him scream. I caught a glimpse of Raph and Donnie leaning over the edge of the broken floor before I crashed into the water below.

I felt like a rag doll in the waves. The undercurrent dragged me beneath the water and I couldn't help but swallow water. It was a continuous cycle until I was able to gain control and break to the surface of the water. I could even feel the ground beneath my feet. I was on a shore. I coughed up the salty water. I looked up and saw Mikey and Cody a little ways away. They were facing away from me.

"Michelangelo!" I screamed.

They were too far away and the storm was too loud. I started clumsily getting to my feet, screaming Mikey's name again. He still couldn't hear me. As soon as I stood up, i felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and my world went black.

* * *

_My head. _

It hurt so bad. The pressure. I felt like it was going to explode. My eyes fluttered open. As soon as they adjusted to the darkness and weren't blurry, I realized I was hanging upside down. The room around me looked liked some sort of cavern or cave. The floor looked like it was made of wooden planks though.

My whole body was wrapped in some kind of white sheet. I looked to my right and let out a small scream. Another body was hanging next to me in a white sheet. It was right next to a big torch that was lit on fire. I started to struggle against the sheet but it was tightly wrapped. I felt like I was in a cocoon. Swinging back and forth, I thought maybe I could somehow swing off the rope but I stopped after I accidentally hit the hanging body next to me. The wrapped body swung into the torch and instantly lit up in flames. The fire ate away at the sheet until it was burned up enough to release the body inside. It fell through the wooden planks and down another ten feet through the hole to the ground below with a loud thud.

I glanced over at the torch and down at the body again. There wasn't another way out of this.

"This is going to hurt." I gulped and started swinging toward the torch.

The torch got closer and closer until I was finally able to make contact with it. The fire burned at the outer cloth. I could feel the burning sensation through my legs and then moving onto my chest. I screamed. I was basically being burned alive. But I was able to finally free myself from the sheet when it burned up enough. Although, I didn't anticipate falling through the hole where he wooden planks used to be.

At the bottom, on the ground, where sharp metal poles and rubble. I could see the pole sticking up on the ground before it impaled me. The pole went straight through my side. Just missing vital organs. My pained scream echoed through the cavern. I got onto my knees and looked down at the pole.

"Shit." I muttered through gritted teeth.

My shaky hand grabbed the pole. I took a deep breath and yanked. The pole slid out, a little messier than I wanted. It was excruciating. As soon as it came out, my vision went blurry. Darkness entered but it wasn't enough to knock me out. I stood up and wobbled. My hand covering the wound as best I could. The pain finally started to subside after a few moments and my vision returned. There was more torches on the wall. I grabbed one of the torches and started down the tunnel.

At the end were two different things. One was a large crack in the wall, big enough for me to slid through. I could hear water crashing on the other side. The other thing was disturbing.

A body was strung to the wall. It's rotting flesh was covered in flies but there was still candles that were set around it. They were all lit. Some kind of ritual. I gagged, walking by the body and squeezed through the crack in the rock wall. The other side had small stream that ran through the cavern. Plenty of luggage and boxes and supplies floated in the water.

I instantly stabbed the wooden handle of the torch into the sand next to the water so that I could lean down and drink the water. I cupped my hands and drank as much as my parched throat could handle before trying my best to clean the wound in my side. It stinged at first, then eased. I looked around at the supplies that floated in the water, and just my luck, there was a emergency medical kit that was partially covered in mud. Opening it, there was only a small roll of wrapping and a little container of gauze. It was enough to get me through for now, but I would need more later on.

I smeared the gauze as best as I could on the hole. Luckily, the pole didn't impale all the way through to the other side of my skin. I just had the one hole on the front. I lifted my shirt and tightly wrapped the wrapping around my stomach over the wound.

_That would have to do._

After putting my shirt back down, I just sat on the bank, looking around the cavern. On the other side of the stream was another tunnel. It was the only possible option that kept me moving. I grabbed my torch again, setting off through the tunnel. I passed plenty of bones laying on the sides of the tunnel, along with rotting corpses tied to the side of the wall of hanging off the ceiling. This place was horrible. Like something out of a horror movie. In my path was a large boulder that was stuck on both sides of the wall, leaving a space underneath to crawl under. I crouched, there was light on the other side of the boulder. And it want the light that candles and torches could make. It was daylight.

I got onto my stomach and started crawling underneath the boulder. I got a little uneasy and nervous while I slowly made my way to the otherside. My side wasn't really helping. As I started to crawl out from under the rock, I felt something grab my ankle.

"Come 'ere ya little bitch!" A voice growled.

A hairy man with a ratty t shirt was staring at me with crazy eyes. He teeth were yellow and black, some were even missing. He pulled on my leg. I squirmed.

"Let go!" I yelled.

My yell must have disturbed the silence in the cavern. The ground started to rumble and shake. The man that was hanging onto my ankle was caught off guard, giving me enough time to use my other foot to kick him in the face. He screamed in pain and let go. I pulled my legs out from underneath the boulder just in time to watch it drop, falling onto the man.

"Oh my god!" I screamed.

I scrambled to my feet and whipped around. The daylight came from a hole in the wal about fifty yards away from me. Rocks started falling from the ceiling by the hole. I didn't have much time before this cavern collapsed and trapped me in here. I booked it, avoiding the falling rocks and boulders. I barely made it through the hole before it collapsed. I fell to the ground outside. I could feel the dirt and grass beneath me. The fresh air hit me and it was all simplicity. Nothing felt as good as that.

After laying on the ground for a few moments, I forced myself to my feet. My side screamed. I flinched and grasped it. I took a few steps forward. In front of me was the sunset over the ocean. I was on a small cliff that overlooked the beach. I could tell that I was on an island. It just seemed like the only possible explanation for this kind of view.

_Oh... Great._

* * *

"It's been a day. We still don't know where she is." Leo sat on a table in defeat inside a small ruined, stone hut on the beach.

There were plenty of small huts on the shore of the island. Donnie figured that we had found the lost island of Yamatai. The stone huts had the Nazi symbols and there were still appears and journals on their study's on the island.

Road sighed. "I know Leo. But I know she's okay."

Leo shook his head. Raph didn't think he registered that he thought Jade was 'Okay'.

"She slipped out of my hand. I dropped her. She could... She could be-"

Donnie had stopped Leo by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Stop beating yourself up. With the jump she had to make, it was crazy that you two had even made contact with each other."

"She's a strong girl. She'll be okay." Raph added, sitting next to Leo and Mikey.

"She's never let us down before." Mikey muttered.

Mikey and Cody had found Raph, Donnie and Leo a few hours after they got to shore. Only Sam and Jade were missing. They were all a little battered. They had all swallowed a little too much salt water, but they weren't hurt in any other way.

Cody said nothing. He sat on the ground on the other side of the hut, leaning against the wall, staring at the brothers. They were so worried for their sister that they hardly paid any attention to him and his needs. He envied Jade. She had brothers who cared for her so dearly. He would give anything to have a family like that. Serling was the father figure of his life. And Uncle Darius was indeed family, but it wasn't the same. Jades brothers always made each other their first priority. If something happened, they wouldn't rest until their sibling was safe. Even in the short amount of time Cody had known them, he could sense that.

He still didn't understand how the dojo could created a scenario like this. How they could have just survived a shipwreck in a small area like the dojo floor. He went through every possible solution but always came to the same conclusion. Viral must have somehow transported them. How? Cody didn't know. He didn't think that could be possible. And this all started because she wanted the password to O'Neal techs mainframe. Giving her the password could mean world domination through all electronics and technology. That's how powerful O'Neal tech was.

He couldn't give her the password. It just wasn't an option. Cody and the turtles now had to learn the art of survival. It was absolutely essential now.

And if Jade and Sam were alive. They would need to learn as well. All of our lives depended on it.


	12. Survival & Cockiness

**I apologize for when I put out a chapter with typos. I'm usually writing pretty late at night because it's the only time I really can do anything with my stories. I'll be doing more updating after this chapter. **

**Chapter 12: The Art of Survival**

* * *

After walking a ways, it had started to get dark. I hadn't been able to get down from the cliff yet. I've had to follow it the path. But the cliff sill overlooked the beach.

I saw a lifeboat on the bank. I remember seeing the same one on deck of the Endurance when Cody, my brothers and I had first went onto deck before meeting Sam. I even recognized the footprints that led away from the lifeboat. My brothers footprints could be recognized anywhere. I kept walking, maybe finding a way down to the beach, but the cliffside path led away from the beach and started heading toward the forest. I got a little uneasy. Hell, I didn't know what were in these woods.

But what choice did I have? I eventually found myself in front of tree. There was a body hanging from it by its feet with its mouth hanging wide open in a silent scream. It was pretty picked away at. The rotting flesh was black. It's exposed rib cage have me the chills. But I did notice the long bow over its shoulders. I needed that. I had lost all of my weapons. They had been stripped away from me either in the water during the storm or had been taken by the man who had hung me by my feet in the cavern. I lost my weapons _again. _This longbow could prove useful.

But how to get it down? I had to climb. Not that I was bad at climb trees or anything, but with my side wound, it was going to hurt. It would be a couple days before it had healed completely with my super-healing powers. I flinched each time I had to stretch my arm up to grab the next branch. The body was across from me as I tried reaching out to brag the bow. It was just out of my reach. I tried adjusting myself on the tree branch I was standing on so I could reach out farther. It worked. I did manage to grab the bow. I but I fell off the branch and onto the ground. And just my luck, I landed on my side.

"God... Fucking damnit!" I groaned loudly. My side screamed in pain. I panted and turned my head to see the dead body laying next to me, his face was inches from mine. I screamed and scrambled to my feet. The bow had fallen off of him, sitting a couple feet next to him. I quickly grabbed it. The body just scared the living hair out of me and I really didn't want to be any closer to it than I had to. I had been so focused on getting the bow that I hadn't even noticed the quiver of arrows leaning against the base of the tree. I hauled the quiver over my shoulders, keeping the bow in my hands with an arrow nocked on the string. Just in case.

I did a 180, looking around at the trees that all looked the same.

_Oh perfect. _

Ok so I was lost. I didn't know my sense of direction so I just started walking. The sun had set before I found anything other than trees, rocks and grass. There was stones that were partially covered up by nature and arranged together like an old path. I followed it to a small set stairs that led to stone ruins. Most of the stone walls have been covered with ivy and bushes. I could see a flickering orange light and a voice on the other side of the wall.

It was Sam.

"Jade?" Sam was sitting on a log in front of a fire with another man. She quickly got to her feet and threw her arms around me. I was little thrown off guard by the hug considering we hardly knew each other. She pulled away, smiling sheepishly. Her cheeks were a little rosy. "Sorry. It's just good to see a familiar face."

I nodded. "I'm happy to see you too. You're the first person I've seen yet."

She led me over to the fire and introduced me to the man sitting on a log. He had a splint on his ankle along with a crutch made of vines and wood.

"Jade, this is Mathias."

Mathias smiled and held out a hand. I hesitated but gently shook his hand. This man have me the creeps.

"I'm a survivor like you two. Except of course, not on the ship you came on. The..." He gave Sam a questioning look. "What was the ship called again?"

"The Endurance."

"Ah! Yes. The Endurance. I shipwrecked a few days ago on a ship called the Solaraii."

I sat down on the log next to Sam. "Were you the only survivor?"

Mathias shrugged sadly. "As far as I know. I haven't been able to move around very much too much." He gestured to his splintered leg. I was going to ask I'm what happened but then again, that's a stupid question. He probably just broke it or something during the shipwreck. Mathis did eye my side though. "What happened to you?"

I glanced down, a little blood had oozed through the bandages and through my shirt. "Oh, I uh.. Fell."

Mathias didn't look like he believed me, but he didn't say anything. I wasn't lying. I _did _fall. But I didn't really feel like sharing my experience in the cavern at the moment. Mathias looked back at Sam.

"So... Can you please continue the story?"

I tilted my head toward Sam. "What story?"

"Oh I was telling him about Yamatai and Queen Himiko." She replied, then looked back Mathias who was eagerly waiting for to begin. "Queen Himiko was a beautiful, beautiful woman who had been with..."

I zoned out and walked over to the stone wall behind Sam and leaned down against it. I've heard the story before of Queen Himiko before. I know the legend by heart. So I let Sam have her fun since she seemed to enjoy telling it. After sitting down again, It didn't take longer than a couple minutes for the exhaustion to sweep over me, forcing my eyes to shut. The last thing I saw before I passed out was the glow of the burning flames on the fire and Mathias listening intently to Sam.

* * *

"Why are we out here Leo? This isn't doing anyone any good." Raph muttered.

They'd been tracking through the woods since that morning. Leo was so intent on finding Jade that he just wouldn't let them or himself rest. He just wouldn't stop blaming himself for letting go of her hand during the storm. It wasn't his fault in the first place. But you couldn't fight with him on it, no matter how hard you tried to fight with him on it.

"You know exactly why we're out here Raph." Leo snapped, keeping up his pace.

"Leo… We need to stop." Donnie said. Mikey had stopped a few paces back to wait for Cody, who was falling behind.

Leo just glanced over his shoulder. "Move it Cody!"

"It's getting dark, we should find a place to camp for the night." Raph jogged to catch up, grabbing Leo's shoulder. "Leo!"

Leo snapped around, slapping Raphs hand away. "We can't! Jade is still out there somewhere and we need to keep-"

"Jade wouldn't want us to be walking around in the middle of the night looking for her!" Raph's voice started to raise.

"Then you guys can camp out! I'm going to find her!" Leo started to turn around until Raph gripped his arm.

"Let go of my arm Raph."

"No Leo. You're exhausted." He gestured to Donnie, Mikey and Cody who were standing behind them. "We're all exhausted! We're not doing Jade any good out-"

"We need to find her Raph!"

"Ya I want to find her too Leo!"

"I'll keep going. You guys rest."

Raph threw his arms up in the air. "For gods sake Leo! You're out of your fucking-"

Their bucking was cut off by a faint yell echoing through the night air.

"Sam? Sam!"

Leo looked back at Raph. "Jade." He nodded just as a piercing scream sounded through the trees.

Leo started sprinting with his brothers and Cody right at his heels. Exhausted or not, Jade needed help. Her scream sounded like she was in pain.

_Just hang on._

* * *

I don't really know what woke me up. I just did. My eyes snapped open instantly. I was still leaning against the wall of the stone ruins where I had passed out. The fire had burned out completely, leaving only the light of the moon as the light source.

And Sam was gone.

Mathias was too. I didn't know Sam well, but I knew she wouldn't run off like this. Not in the middle of the night and especially not with a stranger. Besides, Mathias had a broken ankle. Right? There was no way he could have... _Taken her?_ I quickly got to my feet. My side burned but I ignored the pain. Walking back down the steps from the ruins.

"Sam?" I called out. "Sam!"

A sudden pain instantly tore in my ankle. I fell to the ground with a pained scream tearing from my lips. It was some kind of animal trap, though luckily it didn't have the teeth and spikes of an animal trap. I don't know what kind of animal it's supposed to be meant for but I didn't really care. I couldn't pull the two metal pieces off my ankle. It was too tight and I was just too weak. I was stuck on the ground in the middle of the woods in the dark.

A row of bushes were in front of me. They rustled, swaying back and forth vicsouly and _growled? _No, bushes don't growl. I nocked an stood on the bowstring and held the bow up at the ready. Whatever it was, I was ready.

"Show yourself you little bitch!"

It jumped with its jaws wide open. It was a wolf. I didn't have the time to pull the arrow back on the string of the bow, so I just tilted the arrow up like a spike. The wolf landed right on it. It let out a loud whimper, then went limp. I pushed it off and let it flip to the ground. More growling came from the bushes, I didn't have time to pull out another arrow as another wolf jumped out of the bushes and on top of me. I used the handle of the longbow against its throat. The wolfs jaws were snapping right in front of my face. I saw out of the corner of my eye, another wolf who started to circle, looking for a spot to make the final kill.

My arms were growing weaker and weaker and the wolfs jaws getting closer and closer.

I felt another searing pain in my shoulders, causing another painful yell to escape from my mouth.

* * *

Leo and the others had heard Jades calls for Sam, they were faint but they heard them. They had started running toward the yelling and her peircing scream but hadn't hear anything after that. Leo stopped short, waiting to hear another call.

"Where the hell is she?" Raph had his sais in his hands.

"Jade!" Donnie started calling with hands cupped together over his mouth. "Jade!"

Nothing.

Frustrated tears started to form in Leo's eyes. They were so close. What if she was dead? Ya okay, she can come back but still. It was his fault that he had let go off her, no matter what anyone said. It was _his _fault. If she died, he blamed himself for not being there to protect her. For leaving her by herself. He wouldn't forgive himself for killing her.

Another yell sounded through the trees.

The scream was close. Donnie pointed to his right. "That way!" He took the lead with everyone else right behind him. A almost hidden stone path became their terrain as they started running. Everyone could start seeing the silhouettes of old ruins ahead of them in the in the moonlight.

Then they found Jade.

She was lying on her back at the foot of some stairs to a ruin, with a longbow in her hands at the throat of a wolf. Another wolf had clamped its jaws down on her shoulder just as Donnie came around the corner. Her foot was inside an animal trap on the ground. It didn't look like there were any spikes in the jaws of the trap.

_Good. _

Donnie used his no staff like a baseball bat, swatting the wolf on Jades shoulder. It yelped and let go. Raph instantly dived at the wolf on the other wolf. Wrestling it until he managed to drive his sai through its throat. He yanked it out and pushed the wolf to the ground while it's throat gurgled from the blood that oozed out. The other wolf stared at its companion, took one look at everyone in front of him, then tore off in the opposite direction. Seeing that his meal would have to be elsewhere.

Jades arms collapsed on the ground as she took heaving breaths. Holding the bow at the wolfs throat was exhausting. Leo and Mikey raced to her side while Donnie and Raph freed her ankle from the animal trap before kneeling down next to her. They all huddled up for a group hug.

"Guys! Stop!" Jade painfully laughed.

They let go but were all asking questions at the same time.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Where's Sam?"

Jade covered her ears with her hands. "God you guys are so annoying." She grumbled.

The turtle brothers laughed.

"Your personality is still intact I guess." Raph mumbled, a smirk tugged at his lips.

I guess that's become our new joke. _Your personality is still intact. _

Jade smirked back. "I can tell you're disappointed." She looked up at the steps that led to the ruin. "There was a fire set up there earlier. Think you could remake it?"

Raph glanced at Donnie. "Ya." They raced up the steps.

Leo cradled Jade in his arms as he picked her up and carried her to the ruin.

"Leo... I can walk." Jade grumbled in his arms. He knew she hated it when she needed help.

"Shut up and let me carry you up the steps." Leo smiled as he spoke.

Donnie had already manged to get the fire going. Raph dropped an armful of wood, making the fire pop and crackle. Donnie then started to inspect Jades wounds. Her shoulder had some blood, but the puncture marks from the wolfs teeth didn't do very much damage. Her ankle was just bruised, not broken or sprained. But he got worried when he eyed the blood that was oozing from her side. He pulled her shirt up enough to see the bandages soaked in blood.

"Jade, what happened?"

* * *

Everything hurt. My arms, my ankle, my shoulder... My side. Leo cradled my head and part of my chest in his arms while Donnie had been inspecting my injuries. He froze after pulling my shirt up to see the wet bandages.

"Jade, what happened?"

Leo tensed up. Mikey and Raph came over, glancing at the bandages themselves. Cody sat on the log by the fire. Glancing over at me with a small worried expression.

"I uh... During the storm, I got to the beach and someone hit me in the back of my head. Then I woke up, tied upside down in white sheets in some kind of cavern. I fell and landed on a pole." I explained weakly.

Donnie glanced at my legs. "You have burns on your legs."

I nodded slightly. "I had to swing and burn the sheet that was wrapped around me using a torch on the wall. I would still be hanging there if I hasn't."

"Jesus..." Raph muttered. His jaws were clenched together and he looked like he was both pissed off and extremely worried.

Donnie didn't ask anything else. He started to peel the bandages away. I didn't want to look down, but curiosity got the better of me. I lifted my head slightly. My right side had inflamed twice it's size. The puncture wound stared angrily at me, rimmed with yellow and red. It looked like a giant mosquito bite.

"Oh god." I mumbled, dropping my back down on Leo's plastron.

"It's not infected. Not yet."

"Maybe my superpower healing is preventing that?" I suggested hopefully.

Donnie nodded. "That's what I'm guessing."

As Donnie wrapped the bandage up again, I started to explain what happened after I escaped from the cavern, finding the longbow and finding Sam with Mathias. I then explained waking up and getting stuck in the animal trap.

"We're glad you're okay now though Jay." Mikey gave me a sad, sympathetic smile.

They all looked exhausted. "And you guys. Have you rested at all?"

None of them answered. I glanced at Raph and Donnie and flicked my eyes up toward Leo. Suggesting that it was his fault they didn't get to rest. Raph rolled his eyes and Donnie nodded slightly. I sighed. "Get some rest now then."

None of them argued. They simply laid on the hard, stone floor and passed out within minutes. Leo was leaning against the wall, I tilted my head to look up at him to find he was just staring at the crackling fire.

"Leo..." I started.

"I'm sorry Jade."

"For what? This isn't your fault."He didn't answer, he just rested his head against the wall. I started to get up slowly so I look at him face to face. "Leo."

"I shouldn't have let go. You fell during the storm and it's my fault."

_Oh for crying out loud. _

"You think that's your fault? Come on... I was lucky to have been able to make that jump at all."

Leo let out one small chuckle. "Ya, that's what Donnie said."

I smiled softly. "See? Stop blaming yourself for everything bad that happens. You're not doing yourself or anyone else any good."

He didn't reply. I adjusting my body and leaned against the wall next to him, hugging his arm and leaning my head against his shoulder. "You keep putting yourself down and you're going to deal with me."

Leo chuckled again and rested his head on top of mine. I stopped trying to convince him it wasn't his fault, and just decided to make sure I spent this night comforting him. He needed more than I did. My eyelids started to feel heavy.

The last thing I thought of before I fell asleep, was Sam. _Where was Sam?_

* * *

Cody's envy of Jade grew larger and larger with every moment she spent with her brothers. He had watched Leo and Jade fall asleep next to each other. That's the kind of relationship he wanted with a sibling. They just absolutely could not function without each other.

It wasn't fair. Why did he have to be a only child. When the turtles came, he didn't expect to have his eyes opened on what a family is really supposed to be like. He just wanted to see the super cool ninja skills they all possessed. He almost regretted bringing them to his time. Almost.

* * *

A bright light interrupted my sleep. I could see it through my closed eyelids. I tried opening my eyes but the light was just too blinding. I used my hands to cover them up. I could feel Leo next to me doing the same.

"What the hell is happening?" Came Raph's angry yell.

The blinding light finally died away. I opened my eyes and let them adjust to the white surroundings.

Of the dojo.

"We're back?"

I got a little angry and I don't know why. "Why the hell are we back? _How _are we back?"

I struggled to get to my feet. I felt Leo steady me. I didn't ache or hurt at all. I looked down at my side. The bandages and wound were gone. The sliding doors of the dojo opened, revealing Serling and Master Splinter.

"My sons! My daughter!" He cried happily. Walking as fast as he could over to us. We embraced him but with confused looks.

"Serling!" Cody ran over and hugged Serlings mechanical waist.

"Master! I'm so glad you're alright! And..." He glanced at us. "These creatures as well."

Cody stepped back. "What happened?"

Serling explained that as soon as the dojo locked up, the security system started to go off. Serling informed many specialists at O'Neal tech about what had happened. It took them nearly 24 hours to destroy the virus that invaded the dojos system.

Viral. Where was she? Was she really destroyed?

"Wait, you guys what about Sam? We can't leave her!" I started raising my voice.

"It was all a simulation Jade. None of it was really real." Donnie said.

I sighed. Both in relief and in confusion. It seemed all too real.

"I've never seen that kind of simulation before although." Cody said with his thinking face on. "There's no way that the dojo could have made that kind of scenario."

"It wasn't the dojo. It was Viral." I muttered.

Splinter and Serling were completely lost.

"What happened?" Serling asked.

Leo gestured out of the dojo. "We'll explain _everything."_

* * *

It took us a two long hours to explain what happened. We gave every detail, and leaving nothing out. When we finished, Master and Splinter couldn't find the words to comfort us. We didn't really expect them to say much. Master Splinter was just happy to see us safe.

We spent the next few days in the penthouse. I called up Starlee to make some new weapons for me. She had them delivered within the hour. What a sweetheart.

It didn't take us long to get over the incident. For us, our line of work is dangerous and there is no normal day in our lives. We needed to learn to just move on. Leo and I were hesitant to step back into the dojo, but we were so desperate to do training that we took the risk. The dojo worked perfectly with no sign of Viral anywhere. We tested it out with a couple scenarios before we started being Cody back with us to continue his training that we had started for ten seconds.

I still wasn't thrilled to be training Cody. But I enjoyed showing off. Cody wanted to make his weapons of choose the shurikens. It was way too early for him to think about weapons and I had told him that mastering throwing knives was difficult. He insisted. So Leo decided to have me demonstrate. In one scenario the dojo offered, I was put against eight battle bits that looked like manaquins in an alleyway. They all had a different assort of weapons. Leo and Cody stood in the shadows and watched.

The bots were slow and clumsy so it wasn't much of a challenge. One by one, I quickly slipped a shruiken from my belt and thew it, hitting the bot directly in the forehead each time. The last bit came up for behind swinging an ax. I ducked, rolling out of the way. The alleyway was a little tight so I used the wall to perform a perfect back flip over the bots head. It turned around to quickly, having a shruiken impaled in its forehead.

The alleyway disappeard, returning to the starting white walls. I pulled out my shruikens from the bots heads that were laying on the floor. Cody walked over with Leo, with googly eyes.

"Woah! That was so sick!" Cody exclaimed.

I smiled, still retrieving the throwing knives and slipping them back into my belt. _Ya, that was pretty cool of I do say so myself. _

"That's a basic example and situation of what using shruikens would be like." I stated. "It takes a lot of practice to hit your target flawlessly."

"When can I start?" Cody asked impatiently.

Leo shook his head laughing. "You have a long ways to go before you're weapons training starts."

"What?"

I took the remote from him and changed the room into a standard looking dojo with practice dummy's, wooden posts, pads and balance beams.

"We start with the basics. Your average punches and kicks." I said, smiling at the room. Which was my kind of heaven.

Cody looked like he was slapped in the face. "I can punch just fine!"

I took a step back. Leo smirked, he knew what I was going to ask Cody. "Alright. Punch me."

Cody looked taken back. "What?"

I rolled my eyes. "You heard me."

"Um... Alright." Cody balled his fist and threw a clumsy punch toward my face. I kept my feet planted on the floor with my arms crossed as I moved my head to the side, avoiding the hit.

I chuckled. "You need more power. You don't want me to see that fist coming toward my head years before it happens." I said a little sarcastically. "Throw your shoulder into the punch and twist your chest. It will give your arm more momentum."

Cody tried again using my instructions. His punch was far more powerful this time. I still saw it coming but that was probably because I told him to hit me. Leo and I spent the next few hours training, using practice dummys to throw punches, a variety of different kicks and even an over the shoulder toss. One that would basically have you throw your opponent over your shoulder. Leo called it a hip throw. It really didn't have anything to do with the hips.

After awhile, Leo decided to test him out on a beginner scenario with one battle bot. Cody succeeded. He was definitely a fast learner.

"That's enough for today. Well start again first thing tomorrow morning." Leo said, ending the session.

Cody was so excited about their session for the day that he decided to share it with Donnie and Mikey who were in the living room. Mikey wanted Cody to show him what he learned.

"Just do whatever you did with them, with-" He started until Cody ran up to him and performed the over the shoulder toss. Mikey was thrown into the wall, breaking a vase that was on a pedestal.

_He's pretty strong... I'll give him that. _

Mikey rubbed his head and stood up.

"How was that Mikey?" Cody asked with his fists still up. He looked pretty damn proud of himself.

"Ow. Pretty good. You're getting the hang of the winged monkey style Cody!"

"There's no such thing as 'winged monkey style.' That was a basic hip throw." Leo said. "Just remember to keep your arms straight on the release."

Mikey glared at him. "Quit playing backseat Sensei Leo!" He glanced over at Cody. "Remember to keep your arms straight on the release."

"Isn't it just a over the shoulder toss?" I asked, getting tired of Leo calling it a hip throw. He was about to reply until Serling let out a yelp over the shattered vase on the floor.

"Don't you have a state of the art dojo for this rough housing?"

Donnie held up a control pad. "I'm toughening up the battle bots. Raph took down half a dozen before breakfast."

"Their good for Cody's beginning lessons though." I reminded him. Donnie just shrugged.

"By teaching Master Cody to fight, are not... _Encouraging _him to get into danger?" Serlings grumpy voice asked.

Mikey out his hands up. "Chill out lugnuts. We're teaching Cody the art of self defense so he can get himself _out _of danger."

Serling out his hand son his hips. "Trouble that no doubt you hooligans will get him into. How many more artifacts and breakables must be destroyed for the art of self defense?"

Cody ignored Serling. "Mikey. I wanna show you something." He led Mikey out of the living room just as Raph raced in.

"Guys! You won't believe what I just saw!" He panted. "We have to go! Now!"

All of the imaginary red lights went on immediately.

"What's wrong?"

"What happened?"

"Is Viral back?"

Raph shook his head. "Pro wrestling! There's a tournament tonight!" He cheered.

Donnie sat back down on the floor while Leo and I relaxed our shoudlers.

"Come on! I'm sick of being cooped up in this place. Just imagine being up in the stands with the cheering crowd at a pro wrestling match is something I've dreamed of my whole life!"

None of us answered. Although I thought it _did _sound kinda fun.

"Come on! We don't even have to wear disguises! We can all go!" Raph looked like he was going to explode from excitement.

Leo gestured to the TV screen. "Or we can watch on a 3D holo screen." He gave back, suggesting he wanted to stay at the penthouse.

Raph jumped up and down. "Wouldn't you rather _be there?_ The scents, the sounds of the pro wrestling madness!"

"Or we can watch it on a 3D holo screen." Donnie suggested.

Raph frowned. "Aw forget you guys. I'll see you losers later." He started walking toward the entrance.

"Wait up Raph!" I chased after him. Raph stopped and gave me a huge grin.

"That's my girl!" He gave me a high five.

Leo followed us a moment later. I grinned and let Raph walk ahead to the elevator. "Did you actually want to go or is Splinter forcing you?" I smirked.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Someone needs to keep an eye on you two troublemakers."

I snickered and skipped to the elevator where Raph was impatiently waiting.

* * *

The "Slam-a-thon 57" happened to be at Madison Square Garden, so we had no trouble finding it since it's still in the same place it was ninety one years ago.

We walked in and got our tickets with a hard drive that Cody said had money on it. Getting our tickets. Raph was shaking with excitement.

"Calm down will ya?" I said teasingly.

"I can't believe it. We're at a pro wrestling match and we don't have to wear disguises! This is awesome!" Raph exclaimed.

We took our seats, where everyone except for Raph, was patiently waiting. I sat inbetween Leo and him, tapping my fingers on the arm rest. This place was pretty quiet for a wrestling match.

"This is lame." Raph muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Well that didn't take long."

Raph ignored me. "No foam fingers? No rally megaphones? Not even towels? What is up with that?"

"Maybe the future isn't big on souvenirs?" Leo said.

Raph groaned. Spotting a weird looking creature who giving out food he whistled. "Hey you!"

The man-creature walked over to us. "Yes sir?"

"Give me three hotdogs with ketchup and I want a rootbeer." Raph started counting on his fingers.

The man shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't have any of that. Whatever those are."

Raph tilted his head. "Alright... Give me a pretzel with mustard."

_Mustard?_

The man scratched his head. "A pret-zal?"

Raph glanced at me, giving me a odd look like _'What the hell' _and turned back to the man.

"Okay... How about some nachos?"

The man didn't answer. Each time Raph listed off a food or beverage, the man gave him a dumb, confused look. Finally Raph gave up.

"Okay, what do you have?"

The man smiled like he could finally respond to something. He dug into the big backpack of food and pulled out what looked like a squid on a stick.

"Would you like a fishsicle?" He asked happily.

All three of us, Raph, Leo and I, jumped back a little, disgusted. Raph swatted the fishwife away. "Aw forget it."

The man walked away and Raph turned to Leo and I. "No junk food, no overpriced souvenirs. The future better step up."

As if in response, the speakers began to talk.

_"Ladies and gentlemen. Please take your seats and get ready for the Slam-a-thon 57!"_

Everyone started clapping. Raph began yelling loudly. "Alright! Ya! It's time to get it on! Let's do this!" He stood up while he cheered. They few rows in front us started looking back at us and glaring. I shrunk down in my seat.

_"And now, hovering into the ring wearing the world championship belt... It's the Von Gypsy Piledriver! _

A huge blue man with orange facial hair hovered down to the ring, standing on a small hovercraft.

_"And the challenger, The Compelling Crusher!" _

Another huge man with grey skin and long yellow hair hovered down to the ring. They both stepped off the hovercraft and faced each other with their hands up unready position.

Raph stood up again yelling. "Alright! Let's go Piledriver! You can take that punk!"

The man in front of us shushed Raph. He sat down and gave us a annoyed look.

"Looks like the future doesn't cheer like we do." Leo stated.

"Are you kidding me? This is a wrestling match. What is wrong with the future?"

The bell went off, signaling the start of the match. The crowd went silent as the two wrestling opponents circled each other.

_"Let the match begin! Are you ready for your heart to start pounding?" _

"Finally." Raph muttered. "Time for some action."

The wrestles continued to circle each other slowly.

_"It's a classic beginning, their both plotting their strategy... The Piledriver moves to control the center of the ring while the Crusher moves to look for an opening... The Piledriver waiting for the Crusher to take his first move..." _

I nudged Leo. "This is lame." He nodded in agreement.

_"The Crusher doesn't seem to be in any hurry. The tension here in the arena is unbearable." _

Raph crossed his arms. "Boring!" He yelled out, standing up. I facepalmed myself.

"Where are you going?" Leo asked suspiciously.

Raph smirked. "In going to spice things up a bit. Show them what a real pro wrestling match looks like." He cracked his knuckles.

"Raph, stop I don't think that's a good idea." Leo said but without much use. Raph was already walking away down the aisle.

"Come on Piledriver! You call that wrestling? Show him what you got!"

Me and Leo exchanged a annoyed glance and got out of our seats. Raph had his fist raised.

"Hey Cushie, I see more slam in a car door!"

People in the crowd were gasping at Raph's behavior. Leo grabbed his shoulder. "Let's sir back down, I'll... Buy you a fishsicle?" Leo pleaded. I could tell he was getting a little embarrassed.

Raph shrugged Leo's hand off and walked next to the ring. "Hey losers! I could take both of you with one hand tied behind my shell!"

Both of the wrestles have each other a confused look and shrugged. Raph threw his arms up in the air.

"Somebody throw a chair or something! This is the worst wrestling match I've ever seen!"

As if in reply, a chair slammed onto the ring. Everyone gasped and the wrestles certainly looked startled by it. An enormous man with three heads ran down te aisle to the ring and jumped into it.

"I'm back!" The head in the middle cried happily.

The red head grinned. "And I wanna put the hurt on someone!"

The third head sound like the hyena Ed from the Lion King. Hell, he talked like him too. "Hurt! Dirt!" He started laughing hysterically like he had just pulled the worlds funniest joke.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't believe it. If my eyes deceive me, Triple Threat had entered the ring! He was forever banned from wrestling for using excessive force but he vowed one day, he would return for his belt!" _

Raph grinned. "Woah! It's all part of the show! Now we're talking!"

The middle head of Triple Threat spoke to both of the other wrestlers. "You think two heads are better than one? Well three is gonna rip your spine right out!"

Triple Threat picked up the Crusher, spinning him over his head before slamming him down on the floor of the ring.

_"Oooo... That was a spinning grills power slam, outlawed in twenty planets!"_

Triple Threat slammed the Crusher stomach on his knee.

_"Oooo... An inverted gut buster drop. I think I'm gonna be sick." _

The Crusher was thrown out of the ring and into the crowd. People screamed and started scrambling out of the arena.

"Uh Raph? Are you sure this is part of the show?" I asked, starting to get a little nervous.

"Of course! What sucker is going to pay for that dance recital they were doinge earlier?"

_"The audience is fleeing the arena from the brutality! But rest assured, we will be live broadcasting for our world wide audience!"_

Triple Threat picked up Piledriver and threw him out of the ring. "I am the best wrestler in the world!"

"Eh, he's good. But I've seen better." Raph scoffed.

Triple Threat snapped around. "You got something to say Green Bean? Why don't ya say it in here!"

Roach laughed and started to climb into the ring.

"Woah! What the hell are you doing?" Leo cried.

Raph shrugged. "Just gonna show him how it's done bro."

"I think this guy is for real!" Leo tried to argue.

Raph climbed into the ring. "Just relax and enjoy the show!"

Triple Threat picked up the chair that was still on the floor of the ring and threw it out.

_"Wait a moment... It looks like the green salamander man has entered the ring." _

He's a _turtle_!" I yelled angrily, glaring at the announcer.

Raph smirked. "Great entrance! Now, let's put on a good show!"

Triple Threat looked confused. It's three heads glanced at each other before shrugging and charging at Raph. It grabbed him by the sides and fell backward, slamming Raph's head on the ring floor.

Raph rubbed his head. "Take it easy big guy, let's make this last." He looked a little worried.

Triple Threat walked over to him and laughed. It grabbed him by the head and threw him on the ground, then slamming his body on top of Raph's.

"Raph! You got to get out of there!" Leo yelled, climbing into the ring.

Triple Threat glared at Leo. "Hey! This ain't a tag team match!" He backhanded Leo in the stomach, sending him flying into the arena seats.

"Leo!"

Triple Threat pressed a button on the side of the ring. Red lasers acted like bars, covering the ring like a cage. He walked over to Raph. "You just stepped into a world of pain frog man!"

Raph glanced up. "Okay... Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

Triple Threat reached down to grab Raph but he jumped up onto one of the pedestals in the corner of the arena.

"Too slow bobble head!" Raph smirked.

"Here kitty kitty!" Triple Threat charged but stopped when Raph jumped off the pedestal and jumping over him and onto the pedestal on the other corner of the ring.

_"The alligator man moves around the arena like a monkey!" _

Raph raised his fist at the announcer. "Are you blind? I'm a turtle!" He yelled angrily as he did another flip over Triple Threat.

Leo raced back down to the ring. "Use your sais Raph!"

"No way! That's against the rules! Only bad guys cheat!"

_"The toad man has honor! And it might cost him!" _

"Quit wasting time with him. We got work to do before the cops get here!" The middle head said.

"Okay okay!" The red head cried. "Just one more throw!"

He grabbed Raph by the ankle.

"Uh oh..."

Leo pulled out his katana and sliced the pedestal. The red laser cage blinked off. "Put him down!"

Triple Threat spun around. "Whatever you say!" He threw Raph at Leo, causing them to fly back into the arena seats again.

I groaned. _Perfect. _

Triple Threat pulled the championship belt off of the Piledriver. Who was still in the arena seats.

"Now to take back what's rightfully mine!" He held the belt over his heads triumphtely. He then raced out of the arena and into the lobby.

I raced after him.

_"Wait folks, looks like a little girl is chasing after Triple Threat! We need to see this action." _

Triple Threat had broken the glass and pulled a money register from the booths.

"Hey! Put that down ya three headed freak!" I yelled.

The three heads all laughed at me. "Aw... The little girl wants us to put it down. Lets put her down!" He raced toward me and swung a punch. I barely avoided the enormous fist.

I glanced up and saw the big neon sign that said 'Slam-a-thon.' It was hanging by thin metal wires.

"Come on big guy! Having trouble hitting a little girl?"

Triple Threat growled and tried swinging again, taking a step forward. _Perfect. _

I reached down and grabbed two shruikens and threw them both at the wires. The neon sign instantly fell on top of Triple Threat. Exploding a little.

"That's cheap." Raph muttered.

"You gotta get the job done bro." I laughed, retrieving my shruikens on the other side of the room.

_"And Triple Threat is takin out by the human!"_

We heard sirens. And of course, Cheir Biggles steps out of the Peacekeeper car as states at the unconscious wrestler underneath the big neon sign.

"Hello, hello, hello. What's all this then?" He had glanced to where Leo, Raph and I were standing to see us gone. We had already left.

"Why does he always say that?" I asked. "It's annoying."

Leo and Raph shrugged, hopping into the hovercraft we had taken to get here. I jumped in the backseat.

"Maybe we should have bought Mikey a fishsicle?"


	13. Downtown is a Dangerous Place

**Two things. **

**Okay, actually three. **

_**One: **_**sorry again for typos. I'll be doing updating soon. **

_**Two: **_**the Yamatai adventure and crossover storyline will be seen again in the future! It's not over! (;**

_**Three: **_**the new TMNT movie was so **_**fucking **_**awesome... Holy mother of god it was great. One of my favorite movies for sure. The only thing I was disappointed with really was if you notice from the 1990 versions of TMNT, April became buddy buddy/family with the turtles almost instantly. This movie, she was a little more hesitant with them until the very end. But all in all, great movie. Lots of humor, can't wait for the sequel! Casey! I like Vern, but I prefer Casey. And I didn't even mind Megan Fox in this movie role for one. **

**OKAY IM DONE. **

**This chapter follows "Playtimes Over" & "Night of Sh'Okanabo"**

**Chapter 13: Downtown is a Dangerous Place**

* * *

_Two fucking days._

Mikey has been playing Helix for two days straight. He and Raph had played it a couple days after we got here, but not for very long. But now that Mikey has gotten into it, he hasn't stopped. Not even to eat.

His cheering woke me up at five in the morning.

I opened the door of my room and entered the hallway. My hair looked like a mix between a lions mane and birds nest. Raph, Leo and Donnie were out in the hallway as well.

Raph was wearing a nightgown when he came into the hallway. He gave me a funny look. "Geez, what died and came back on you?" He asked sarcastically, referring to my hair.

"You're the one to talk, grandma." I scowled, grabbing my hair and pulling it up into a messy ponytail and walking down the hallway toward the living room.

"Grandma?"

I snickered quietly along with Donnie. He bumped a fist with me as we walked in on Mikey was cheering ecstatically in the living room.

"Oh ya! My twenty first century skills still rock the domain!"

I walked into the living room and turned on the light. "Tell me you're not still playing that helix game." I asked, grumbling.

"Oh ya! Forty seven straight hours of gaming goodness and it's about to pay off bros! I'm tearing up the final level! Call Cody!"

Leo put his hands on his hips. "Cody's asleep. Like we all should be."

I yawned. And i'm pretty sure I almost fell asleep standing up because Raph put his hands on my shoulders behind me. "Come on kiddo, back to bed." He ordered.

I nodded but didn't make the effort to go to my room.

"Cody's still up!" Mikey said, pointing to the lab.

"If that's true then you're both crazy." Donnie walked over to the table where holo screen hovered. He pressed a button that showed the lab through another holo screen in the lab. Basically like Skype.

Cody was welding something in the lab.

"Hey Cody, are you really up or is Mikey fried more than usual?" Donnie asked with an eyebrow raised.

Cody jumped back in surprise. "Oh uh, hey Don! I uh... Was just uh, working on a little project." He was stammering a lot. "Lost track of time."

_Definitely hiding something. _I decided.

Donnie seemed convinced though. "Well, Mikey wants you to see his ultimate Helix dominance! So take a break from that unless you want some help?" He suggested it because I know he wanted to help with whatever project Cody was working on.

"No, uh... I'm good. I'll meet you guys in the living room." Cody ended the holo screen call.

I yawned and walked into the kitchen to make myself tea but then again, this is the future. Cody didn't like tea. So there was no tea in this penthouse. I sighed. But Cody walked into the kitchen and had the Cuisine Kitchen Bot 9000 whip up some popcorn.

"It's five in the morning though?"

Cody gestured to Mikey awaiting patiently for him. "It's for watching him finish the game."

I rolled my eyes and walked back into the living room. I couldn't go back to sleep just for the fact that I knew I wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again. Cody, Raph and Donnie spent the next half hour on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn watching Mikey win the final level. Leo and I on the other hand, practiced our katas in the free space between the living room and the dining room.

"Yes! I finally did it! I finally beat Helix! This is the greatest day in the history of the world!" He started laughing as the game let off fireworks in the background.

"Sometimes I wonder what it's like on Planet Mikey?" Donnie asked.

Master Splinters voice carried into the room. "Hopefully it includes returning to train now that the most awesomest game as been defeated." He smirked.

"Just let me enjoy the sweet smell of victory for a moment!" Mikey started complaining.

Serling brought in a can of air freshened and sprayed Mikey with it. "Trust me creatin, there is nothing sweet smelling in this apartment." Serling turned to Cody who was still sitting on the couch. "Master, since we are forced to live with... Guests, would you consider activating the servatron unit that helped out in this house before me?"

Cody looked a little nervous. "Oh uh... I think we got rid of that old bot. What use is a servatron anyway?"

Mikey stopped Serling from replying. The TV holo screen was on the news. "Stop talking now!" A news reporter in front of a mall was talking. The top corner of the screen wrote _Helix 2._

"On no..."

_"Unless you've been living in a black hole, you'll know that Helix Two comes out today. Ultragamers have been camping out in the Level X mall for the most highly anticipated video game ever." _

Mikey sounded like he was going to cry from his excitement. "This really is the greatest day in the history of the world." He got to his feet and turned Cody. "Hurry Robin! To the Shellmobile!"

Cody put his hands up in front of him. "Wait Mikey! Level X mall is huge! You can't make it to the other end of the mall without a galactic positioning system!"

_Whatever that is._

"Let the simpleton go! Then perhaps he'll get lost and never return." Serling said hopefully. It was probably the closest to smiling I'll ever see with him.

Cody rolled his eyes, smirking. "Don't worry. I know who can help." He walked over to the computer and turned it on. Starlee showed up on screen.

"Cody! Hey! What's up?"

Cody didn't get to answer before Mkey shoved his face into the screen. "You! Us! Level X! Helix Two! Please!"

Cody laughed and pushed Mikey out of the way. "Sorry Starlee. What Mikey is trying to say is-"

Starlee stopped him. "It's okay. I speak fluent shopper. You need a guide to guide through Level X so Mikey can score Helix Two. It's a date!" Cody went pale. "We can have lunch while the guys do the ultra consumer thing."

"A date? I uh.. I can't. I'm working on a… uh, a thing." Cody stammered even though Starlee cut off the call and the screen was off.

Mikey had already run off to the elevator. Cody gave up and followed.

"Enjoy Master Cody! I'll be thinking of you while I scrape turtle funk off the good china!' Serling called.

I snickered as Cody came into the hallway. "Smooth Cody."

"Using poor little Mikey to score a dinner date with Starlee." Raph smirked

Cody started backing up, looking red. "I uh.. I can't though! I'm uh, doing extra training! Master Splinter says-"

Cody hadn't even noticed Splinter behind him. "-thinks that a life without balance is hardly worth living."

"But is a date balanced?"

"You must trust me on this one Cody." Splinter had a slight smirk tugging at his lips.

Cody turned around toward the elevator in defeat. "Okay, let's go." He said grumpily.

* * *

Level X was indeed very big. Starlee met us at the entrance of the "Gaming" area of the mall. Holographic neon signs of _Helix 2 _were everywhere. A little bit of walking and we had found the long line outside of a store that was supposedly releasing the game.

"We're getting close! I can smell virtual chaos on fellow unwashed gamers!" Mikey exclaimed.

Starlee turned to me. "Is he always like this?"

I nodded. "I blame Donnie for ever setting up a game console at home."

Mikey stopped at the end of the line. "I have seen the promise land. And it looks very good!"

"Woah… Look at the line! Are you sure you wanna…" Raph stopped when he saw Mikey jumping excitedly at the back of the line.

Leo laughed. "Ask a stupid question…"

Starlee walked over to Cody and wrapped her arm around his. "So while Michelangelo waits a year and a half for his game, the food court is just eight levels up." She hinted.

Cody pulled away awkwardly from Starlees grip. "Uh… It's a little early for lunch. Why don't you go on without me and I'll meet you later!" He turned around and walked over by Mikey.

Starlee looked hurt by the rejection. Leo nudged her. "Well, I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat!" He turned to me. "You coming?"

I shook my head, chuckling as I gestured to Cody and Mikey. "I'll stay and keep an eye on them." I glanced at Starlee and winked. "And I'll knock some sense into Mister Sensitivity for ya."

Starlee nodded solemnly and started walking away with Donnie, Raph and Leo. I heard Raph joking with Leo and Donnie. "Oh ya, she'll really knock some sense into him. Literally."

I laughed softly and walked up to Cody, punching him the arm. "What the hell was that?"

Cody rubbed his arm and glared at me. "What was what?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Starlee. She's totally into you and you just pulled a major asshole rejection back there!"

Cody avoided my eyes. "I like her but I'm no good with girls."

"Oh really. Have you even had a girlfriend before?"

Cody didn't answer.

"Then how do you know you're no good with them?" I crossed my arms, waiting for an answer.

Cody turned on me. "Have you ever had a boyfriend before?"

"No, but I wouldn't reject someone if they offered to take me to lunch"

I gave up when Cody refused to answer. We stood in line for about a half hour. Mikey's patience and energy had started drying up as the time on. The line had grown double in size.

"Okay, this is not the way I role on Helix day." Mikey complained.

"Patience is a virtue Michelangelo." I stated.

He stared at me with a grumpy look. "Thanks Master Splinter." He turned to Cody. "Hold my spot. I'm gonna use a little ninja mojo to get a closer spot."

"You're gonna cut?" Cody asked in disbelief.

"Mikey, no."

He rubbed his hands together. "Not exactly going to _cut. _I call it creative waiting." He pointed up to the ceiling where there was metal pipes. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Cody and jumped up, grabbing a pipe and crawling on it toward the store doors.

I sighed. "We're so going to get busted for this." I jumped up as well.

When we got close, as if on command, the doors opened with a girl waving at the cheering crowd. Mikey, Cody and I jumped through the opened doors just before they closed. The store was more like a short corridor with a sign to the right that pointed to a loading dock. Mikey winked and laughed at me. "See? Creative waiting. We're at the front of the line."

"We're not in line Mikey. We just broke into a store for a video game."

He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "We didn't _break in _Jade. We just-"

He heard a familiar voice down the hall where the loading dock was. It was the the ghostly gang that we met when we first arrived at the city, almost taking Mikey as a slave.

Mikey turned to Cody. "Call the guys. It's _so _ninja time!"

I groaned and followed Mikey behind one of the trucks. The gang's leader talked about stealing the games for their own profit. Mikey didn't really wait for me to come up with a plan in Leo's absence. He jumped out of our hiding spot.

"Step away from the games player hater!" Mikey pointed accusingly.

The leader scowled. "It's Jammerhead!" He pointed back. "Street Venoms! Ghost this guy!"

More ghostly gang members appeared. Mikey let out a small battle cry and charged, falling right through one on of the men. "Mikey you idiot!" I called out, pulling my wakizashis out of their sheaths. "Remember what Master Splinter said, wait for them to touch you!"

Mikey managed to kick one away. Two men quickly wrapped him in bubble wrap and disappeared.

"Really Mikey?" I yelled, taking out one of the men. "You let them stop you with bubble wrap?"

"It's extra strong!" He cried, struggling. His eyes opened with shock when the trucks engine behind me started.

Jammerhead was in the front seat, waving. "So long! That's a wrap!" He laughed as the truck started to pull away.

"Jade! Go after those games! Cody will get the guys!"

I groaned and ran after the truck, grabbing a handle on the side. I managed to get a strong grip as the truck picked up speed and turned onto the freeway. Jammerhead poked his head out through the window.

"Hey little girl! Determined little bugger aren't you? Get off _my _truck."

"It's Jade you ass! And it's not _your _truck!" I pulled myself up onto the top of the truck. A couple of the ghost gang member appeared, laughing at me.

"Go home little girl!"

I felt my anger starting to boil up. "Stop calling me a little girl!" I yelled as I charged at them.

It's hard to fight on a moving truck. Jammerhead sped up to maneuver the truck around other cars and it to quite possibly throw me off as well. While fighting, I felt my wrist buzzing. I guessed it was Leo calling me through the wrist translator. I didn't really have the time to talk to him over a miniature holo from so I pulled out the small earpiece that was attached to it and stuck it on my ear as I ducked to avoid a swing from one of the ghostmen.

"Now really isn't the time for a friendly chat." I said as I kicked a man off the truck. Two more replaced him.

"_Mikey said you went with the truck. Are you okay?" _Donnie's voice was on the other end. But I could hear Leo as well. So I was on a three way call while fighting a ghost gang on top of a truck on a high speed freeway.

_Life without balance is hard worth living at all huh?_

"I'm great." I said sarcastically. "I'm just fighting on top of a the Helix truck on the freeway. How are you?"

"_Where are you?" _Leo's serious voice asked.

"Freeway, heading south." I informed, just as I got hit in the shoulder. "That's not very nice." I roundhouse kicked him, sending him flying off the truck. He was finally the last one to go down.

"_We're right behind you."_

I glanced behind me where the, as Mikey calls it, the Shell Mobile, was speeding up behind the truck. I could see Donnie and Leo in the front seats through the windshield with Mikey shouting at Donnie.

"_Faster! Faster! We're going to lose the games!" _I could hear his pleads through my earpiece.

"Worry about the games Mikey and not your little sister." I grumbled.

"_You might want to hang on to something Jade!" _Donnie yelled. He made the car jump over the truck and land in front of it. The truck started to skid to a stop while I grasped onto a handle on the side of the truck, standing on a small ledge.

Peacekeeper hovercrafts surrounded the Shell Mobile. The door opened and Mikey jumped out first, glad to see Chief Biggles standing there.

"Hello, hello, hello. What's all this then?" Chief Biggles glared at my brothers.

"You arrived just in time! Make with the mirandas and arrest that techhead!" Mikey pointed at Jammerhead.

Peacekeepers grabbed my brothers by the arms. Chief Biggles displayed a holographic screen showing my brothers pulling games out of the back of the Helix truck.

Jammerhead must have somehow messed with the security cameras. _Great._

"What? That's not us!"

Chief Biggles leaned down and stared at Mikey. "You're taller in person."

Jammerhead moved the truck beside the Peacekeepers. "Excuse me officers, while I deliver these games to the geeks in the world!" He laughed and sped off. I was still hanging off the side of the truck.

Jammerhead purposely took sharp turns to try to throw me off, but I kept my iron grip. I could hear a Peacekeeper car behind me. It was Mikey.

I groaned into the earpiece. "He's obsessed."

Raph must have put his earpiece on as well since his voice as clear. "_He played a game for two days straight. This is a surprise?"_

The Shell Mobile was behind Mikey along with half a dozen Peacekeeper cars behind them. I heard Donnie yell in a panicking voice. "_No, but that is! Where did that giant chasm come from?" _

Right in front of us were signs and a barriers, blocking off the chasm drop. I screamed as the truck sped up toward the drop.

"_Jade! Let go of the truck!"_

I couldn't exactly just 'let go' of the truck considering the speed we were going. Letting go or hanging on would both mean death so I just decided to hang on. I closed my eyes and waited for the free fall, but I never felt it. Instead, there was a heavy bump. I opened my eyes to find the truck had landed on some kind of ship. I looked back to where we had jumped from. Nothing was there.

_The ship was invisible. _

I jumped off the side of the truck where several of the Street Venom members were glaring at me. Jammerhead jumped out of the drivers seat and screamed.

"This wasn't part of the plan! Get rid of her!"

I laughed at the clumsiness of the men trying to kill me. I started taking them out one by one but was soon starting to get a little overrun.

"Okay… Now would be a good time for my brothers to show up." I muttered.

Almost like it was an answer, I heard them jump onto the ship. Along with a huge mechanical robot with Cody inside. _A project huh? That's what he was hiding._

"Join the party boys. I've got them all warmed up for ya."

"It's ninja time!" Cody made his robot armor charge toward the gang members, along with my brothers.

I ended up battling with Jammerhead who actually was using a katana. He wasn't a bad fighter. In fact, he was a pretty good opponent.

"I have the truck! I have the games! I even have your freaky friends to take the blame. When are you going to learn that _I _won?" His high pitched voice was starting to get on my nerves.

"Don't claim you won the battle when it hasn't even ended yet!" I growled, clashing swords. "And my brothers are _not _freaks!" I kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying into the railing of the ship.

Codys armor walked over and stood in front of the truck as Mikey went inside of it, grasping a game and hugging it. "It's okay babies. The bad man isn't going to hurt you anymore." He cooed to them.

Cody's armor had a electrical wave that went over it. He started frantically pressing buttonson the control panel. "Guys! I've lost control!"

The armor grabbed Mikey and threw him out of the truck next to Leo. Then started walking to the edge of the ship.

"Cody!" I yelled.

Leo, Donnie and Mikey grabbed a hold of the armor to prevent it from falling over the edge. Jammerhead was behind us yelling at his men.

"Jade!" Raph pointed to the gas containers on the other end of the ship. I took out a shuriken and threw it. The containers exploded and the invisibility shield over the ship disappeared. Chief Biggles and some Peacekeepers were still on the street.

"Street phantoms? Well I'll be baffled!" He cried in disbelief.

_Wow. He really can say more than one line!_

Codys armor was back in his control. "Awesome! Turtle X in back online!"

"Then jump before he jams your circuits again!" Donnie yelled as him and my brothers started to jump over the side of the ship to the street on the other side. Cody looked back at the truck.

"I'll do something better…" He aimed Turtle X's arm toward the truck and released a cable that attached itself to the truck.

"Cody leave it!" I screamed.

The ship started explode started from the farthest end away from Cody and I.

"Jade, get over here!" I heard Leo shouting.

I jumped over the edge of the ship and managed to get a grip on the ledge of the street just as the rest of the ship exploded behind us. Cody did the same, but the truck attached to his cable was dragging him over the edge.

"I got it, I got it!" Cody was cheering until Turtle X slid some more. I hauled myself up onto the street after waving Leo away to help Cody.

"You need to release the cable!" I yelled through the glass of Turtle X.

"No! I can do this!"

"You're slipping! You can't pull yourself up and hold the truck!" Donnie gave back urgently.

Mikey pushed me aside and peered into the glass. "Let go Cody. They're just games!"

Cody hesitated, but flicked a switch that released the cable. The truck crashed down into the deep chasm. He was able to pull himself easily without the weight of the truck. Chief Biggles was yelling at his men to go after the Street phantoms who had jumped off the other side of the ship. While his back was turned, we made a break for the Shell Mobile.

* * *

Serling was furious at Cody. He yelled at him to explain what the Turtle X armor was for. Splinter was also very concerned and disappointed in Cody for trying to help us. Cody put the Turtle X in the lab and did go on to explaining with all of us listening.

"... So I thought that if I could convert the old servatron into a turtlebot battlesuit, maybe I could… Ya know, help?"

"You took an unacceptable risk young one. Dangerous. Foolish." Splinter chastised.

Leo smirked. "Remind you of anyone Sensei?" He glanced at me.

I shrugged. "What?"

"You were on top of a moving truck going over the speed of 90 miles per hour." Leo gave me the "You know what I meant' look.

"Oh please." I rolled my eyes and mimicked his signature arms crossed stance. "We've done worse."

"Cody did save us from the big splat." Raph interrupted us.

"And we are training him. I mean, he's no ninja yet." Leo added.

"Definitely a Casey Jones descendent." Mikey and I said at the same time. We both laughed and bumped fists.

"We will discuss this further. But for now…" Splinter put a hand on Cody's shoulder. "No more adventures without permission."

"Cody Augustus Jones! You have a lot of explaining to do." Starlee was standing in the doorway of the lab with her arms crossed and a bag in her hands.

"Starlee! I uh, oh boy. Um… I'm really sorry! I had to… Um…"

Starlee grinned. "How did you build that tech armor?"

Cody looked thrown off guard. He started laughing nervously. "I uh… I don't know what you're-"

She held up her hand to shush him. "Save it. I followed you to the roof when you took off in the armor and I think it's totally cool." She beamed as she wrapped her arms around his. "I used to think you were just a rich kid living up in this tower but then I saw you rush off to help your friends like that? Aw."

She glanced at me and winked as she and Cody started walking toward the door to leave the lab. I returned it.

The boys, even Splinter gave me a confused glance. "Shouldn't she be pissed that he ditch her?" Raph asked.

I shrugged, laughing. "Oh she is. But she's too into him to stay mad."

"Women." He scoffed. I punched him in the arm.

Splinter looked back at Starlee and Cody. "See my children? In all things… balance."

Mikey agreed. "Exactly. That's why I'm done with video games. All finished."

"Oh." Starlee was smirking at Mikey with the bag raised in her hand. "So I guess I went to ten stores and stood in line… all for nothing."

Mikey snatched the bag from her and ran to the living room, cheering the whole way there. We could hear him screaming with excitement. Splinter sighed.

"Where did I go wrong with that boy?"

"I still blame Donnie for setting up the Playstation in the old lair when we were like six." I said, smiling slyly at him.

Donnie glared. "You blame me?" His frown turned into a playful grin. "Oh ya?" He took a swipe at my head. I ducked and sprinted out of the room with him behind me. Pretty soon, all my brothers chasing after me around the penthouse.

Serling screamed when he saw the broken china as the aftermath of the chase.

* * *

I sat in the lab with Donnie and Cody as they worked on upgrading Turtle X reading a holographic book. It was called _Anna Dressed in Blood. _It's my favorite horror book from my time and it took me two days to find it in the book store online.

"Turtle X is looking good." Cody said, walking over to the computer I sat next to. "I can't wait until we finish these upgrades. Then we can go out and grow some shell!"

I looked up from the book and gave him an odd look. "Grow some shell?"

Donnie pulled the welding glasses off his head. "That's _raise _some shell. And I was under the impression that this battle armor was for your self defense out in the big bad world of 2105?"

There was some crashing. Raph, Leo and Mikey rolled into the lab, wrestling each other.

"Or in the dangerous environment of your own home." I commented, turning off the holographic book and setting it on the table.

Leo got up and walked over to me, giving me a noogie. Serling walked in the lab and gave Raph and Mikey a disgusted look. they were still wrestling on the ground.

"Oh what a shock." He said sarcastically. "Indulgent roughhousing and more destruction." He glared at Turtle X. "That thing… I still think it's an abomination."

"Relax Serling." I breathed. "It's for Codys own protection and security."

"Ya!" Raph slapped Cody on the back. "Cody may seem like a mild techno geek but with that metal skin, he can transform into a mega powered, kickass warrior."

"A regular Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde!" Mikey said.

Cody scratched his head in confusion. "Doctor who and Mister what? Should I be really honored? Or really offended?"

"You don't know who Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde are?" I asked with my brow scrunched up. "The black and white movie? Spencer Tracy?"

"Famous movie? Robert Louis Stevenson?" Donnie added.

Cody shrugged. "Nope. Never heard of them."

Mikey slammed his hands on the sides of his head. "It's like one of the all time classic monster movies!"

"What's a monster movie?"

"You're kidding?" I asked.

"Frankenstein? The Mummy?" Mikey started acting out the movies like he was playing charades. "Tell you've at least heard of King Kong? Dracula! The Creature from the Black Lagoon! Not even The Tangler?

Cody chuckled and shrugged again. "No. I've never heard of any of them. I guess we don't have those."

"It can't be." Mikey fell to his knees dramatically. "A future without monster movies?"

I rolled my eyes as Mikey fell to the floor and played dead.

I turned on the computer next to me. "I came across a mention of The Mummy earlier today. I read about it while I was filtering information off the galactic web." I started typing on the keyboard for the holoscreen.

Mikey ran over and started trying to touch the screen. "What about it? What about The Mummy?" I hit his hand. "Ow!"

I pulled up the familiar article. "Here it is. There's a festival of old horror flicks being shown downtown by an earth-alien appreciation society. The Mummy, The Tangler, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on East Williston." I turned back toward everybody.

Mikey let out a small squeak. "Lets go, lets go, lets go, lets go! Think about it! The chills! The thrills!"

"The stale popcorn?" Donnie asked in a monotone.

"I'd like to go." Cody said.

"That's the spirit!" Mikey "It can be for Cody's education. We can show him first hand why our century is so great!" Raph came up and gave Mikey a noogie.

"Besides if we don't go, Cheeseball here will never shut up." Raph said as Mikey laughed.

Leo turned to Serling. "You wanna come?"

Serling glared and started to walk away. "I would rather have my wires pulled out by a rusty pair of pliers then see some stupid horror movie."

Leo raised an eyebrow and glanced at me. I laughed. "Ask a stupid question…"

* * *

Downtown was nice. "This place looks like home." Leo remarked. A red alien with the eyes of a fly walked by. "Except for all the aliens…"

"Well, if strange and ugly is the new normal, good thing we got Raph with us!" Mikey joked. I started laughing.

"Oh." Raph scowled. "Think you're funny huh?" He swung and kicked at Mikey who laughed and ran ahead.

The movie theater actually looked almost exactly like the cinema at home. And even better, we were the only ones there other than the host of the appreciation society and a few other people. Well, aliens. The first movie, the Mummy, was playing. One of my favorites. I sat between Leo and Raph.

"_No please! No, I'm too young!" _The woman on screen screamed.

The host stood up out of his seat. "You see, even with these primitive conditions, the peoples of the late twenties and the early twenty first century did enjoy a somewhat engaging cinematic experience."

Mikey grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it at the aliens head. "Hey! Down in front!"

The host glared at Mikey for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing. "As I was saying…"

Mikey threw the entire popcorn bowl at him. "Shut up!"

Donnie grabbed Mikeys shoulder. "I'm sorry for my brother." He apologized. "But he is simply acting the part of rude, obnoxious movie goer so common during that time period."

Raph and I laughed. "He isn't acting."

The host looked confused. "I'm afraid I'm unaware of the 'rude, obnoxious' movie goer. Our records of this time period are incomplete. We try to be as accurate as possible with our reconstruction. We even rebuild screen projectors from as much authentic salvage as we could find."

Donnie glowed. "If you want, I can check it out for authenticity. I'm kind of a tinkerer with a lot of experience."

The host nodded eagerly. "Any help would be greatly appreciated. But sadly, we need most of our help in the knowledge of 'movie enjoyment'."

"You're telling me." Mikey said, grabbing Leo's popcorn bowl. "Can I borrow your popcorn bro? I had to throw mine." Without waiting for a reply, he jumped down to the front row. "First if all, you're not doing the popcorn right. You're all barely touching it. Popcorn is a delicacy that is most appreciated messily and in mass quantities." He picked up a handful of popcorn and started shoving it into his mouth. I wasn't even sure if half of it went into his mouth at all.

"Never one at a time! You gotta do it in handfuls!" Mikey said with mouth half full. The aliens in the seat next to him started to follow his lead.

Leo shook his head. "Looks like I have to get more popcorn." He got up out of his seat and headed for the lobby.

Cody went down to the front row to hear Mikey's "knowledge" on horror movies. I sat with Raph and Donnie a row above them. We had our own conversation, since watching the actual horror movie was out while Mikey was talking.

"What was the one about the cabin in the woods?" I asked. I slight smirk tugging at my lips.

"The Last House on the Left?" Donnie suggested.

I shook my head. "No. The one about the cabin in the woods."

"Blair Witch Project?" Raph tried.

I shook my head again. "No. The one about the cabin in the woods."

Raph fumed. I saw Donnie starting to catch on. He winked at me over Raph's shoudlers.

"Uh, Friday the 13th?"

"No. The one about the cabin in the woods."

"Evil Dead?"

Everytime he listed off a movie, I said the exact same thing. Raph was getting extremely frustrated by the fifteenth movie he listed off.

"What about that movie that's just called The Cabin in the Woods?" He tried.

I shook my head. "No. Its about a cabin in the woods."

Donnie couldn't contain himself. He bursts out laughing and I joined along. I can't believe I was able to keep it up for that long. Our faces turned red with a few tears running down our faces. He gave each other a highfive.

Raph glare sat both of us. "You two are so immature. If I have to deal with this, so does Leo."

I wiped a year from my eye, still laughing. "Where is Leo anyway?"

"Maybe he had to pee?" Donnie suggested.

Raph rolled his eyes. "I'll get him."

Mikey was still talking, now listing off things that almost all horror movies have and what the cliche and absolutely idiotic characters do in horror movies.

"Rule fifteen; If the basement is scary and dark, always go down there! Especially if your flashlight is about to die. Sixteen; If you think you've beaten the monster, immediately turn your back. Seventeen; Be careful not to have fun, or you'll be the first one to grt it! Eighteen; if you're in a group, always split up into singles and go seperate ways!"

The host stared at Mikey in complete awe. "Your expertise is astounding! It is a privilege to sit in your presence."

I gave Donnie a fake puking motion. "I think in gonna be sick."

"They think he's a god." Donnie muttered.

"He forgot one though." I remarked.

Donnie tilted his head. "What?"

"If there's a car coming, always run in the middle of the road."

Donnie nodded. "I always think it's funny how the victim will be sprinting away for the monster that's basically shuffling like a zombie and they still manage to get caught."

"Or how the person will walk into their home and it's all quiet so they yell, 'Hello? Is anybody there?'"

We both laughed. "Cliches."

Donnie glanced up. "I think I'm gonna check out the projector screen now. You wanna come?"

I shook my head. "Mikey looks like he finally shut up so I'll stay and try to enjoy some of this movie."

Donnie nodded and got up. "If I see Raph and Leo I'll send them down here."

I chuckled. "They're probably waiting to pounce on us."

Donnie laughed and walked out of the theater. I jumped down and sat between Cody and Mikey, watching the climax of The Creature of the Black Lagoon. Cody nudged me about 15 minutes later. I didn't take my eyes off the screen as I leaned my head closer to him.

"What?"

Cody was staring at the back of the theater. "With these kind of movies, are they supposed to make the shadows do that?"

I gave him a confused look before glancing at the back. The darkness seemed to be moving. Almost like crashing waves. I nudged Mikey.

"What?"

"Look behind you."

Mikey glanced back then gave me a freaky look. "What is that?"

"Where's Leo, Raph and Don?" Cody asked in full panic mode.

The shadows moved up front and formed itself into a giant, purple alien of some kind. The other aliens in the theater screamed and ran out. Mikey pushed Cody. "Go Cody! Get out the backdoor!"

Cody tried to object but I pointed toward the door. "Mikey and I will hold him off. You go now!"

Cody nodded and ran. Mikey and I split up. I ran toward the lobby while he ran to the second level. I pushed through the doors and found myself by the food stand. Whatever that thing was, it didn't follow me. It chased Mikey. I considered going back into the theater after waiting about five minutes for something to happen. But I decided against it and walked up the stairs that led to the second level. I found Mikey. And I found my other brothers.

Purple goop covered their mouths, wrists and ankles. Basically plastering them against the wall. They struggled and yelled through their gags at me. Before I could move, I was met by the purple alien. He didn't cover my mouth at all or plaster me to the wall. Instead, one of his purple tenticals wrapped around my neck and slammed me on the ground in front of my brothers. It was so tight. My hands reached at the tentacle, trying to pry it off.

The alien breathed in my face. "What do you know about the Day of Awakening?" He asked.

"I... Don't know... What you're... Talking about." I gasped. His grip got tighter.

"Don't lie! I will not hesitate to let your friends watch you slowly suffocate. Tell me what you know!" He demanded, slamming my neck against the ground again.

I took one hand and clumsily grabbed a shruiken on my belt and plunged it into the aliens skin. He screamed in pain but didn't let go. Instead, he picked me up by the neck and threw me into the theater. I landed in front of the screen with a heavy thud. I heaved for oxygen. Suffocating sucks I tell ya.

The alien followed me into the theater. "What do you about the Day of Awakening?" He asked me again.

I stood up and glared at him. "Back off pal! I don't fucking know what you're talking about!"

The alien used his tenticals to try and grab me again. I jumped around the theater trying to avoid them. Another crash sounded form the lobby. It was Cody in his Turtle X armor.

"Cody! The guys are in the stairway leading up to the second level! Go help them!"

He didn't hesitate to follow my order. He went straight back into the lobby. The purple alien managed to catch me off guard. He wrapped another tentical around me neck and hanged me close to his face.

"You'll be dead by the time they help you. Your punishment for unwilling to cooperate." He scowled.

His tentacle carried me to the ledge of the second level. He somehow managed to remove his tentical from is body and hang it on the ledge. I hung by my neck. I thought I had a little hope since my hands were free, thinking I could possibly help keep myself from strangling but that dream went away a soon as the alien put my hands behind me and covered them the the purple goop.

"Jade!" Leo's alarmed voice came from behind me.

The alien swatted them away toward the front of the theater. "Tell me what you about the Day of Awakening."

"We don't know what your talking about now let our sister go!" Raph yelled furiously.

My vision started to go blurry. I was getting weaker. My brothers battling with the alien started to sound fuzzy. No matter how hard they tried to get around him to get to me, they failed. Even Cody couldnt push past with Turtle X. I felt my body starting to shut down. My heart rate started to slow.

It went black moments later.

* * *

_5._


	14. Old Enemy?

**This chapter will be based on "Bishop to Knight." **

**Chapter 14: Old Enemy?**

* * *

_"There's nothing we can do, we have to wait now." _

_"Wait for what? She's dead! There's nothing to wait for!"_

_"She can come back you idiot! She's told you this before."_

_"I'll believe that when I see it."_

* * *

Oxygen. I feel like I've done this thousands of times. But I'll never get used to the air rapidly filling my lungs each time I wake up. It's agonizing. My lungs burned and my throat was parched.

"Hey, hey, hey you're okay. Just breathe."

Donnie's familiar face was standing over me. He glowed with happiness, seeing me awake.

"Don.." I managed to whisper after my breathing has finally slowed down.

He nodded, smiling. "Welcome back to the land of the living sis."

I chuckled. "Good to see you too."

He helped me sit up against the backboard of the bed. I was laying on the one I usually slept on in Cody's penthouse. He handed my a glass of water that was patiently waiting on the nightstand. It felt amazing to feel the liquid running down my dry throat.

"How long was I out?" I asked after I had finished.

"23 hours." He replied, putting the glass back on the nightstand.

_What?"_

"I've never been out that long before." I murmured in disbelief. "It's usually just a few hours."

Donnie nodded softly, gripping my hand and squeezing it. "Ya. We were all starting to get a little worried." He glanced at the door. "I'll go get them."

I started to move. "Wait. I want to go out there."

"Are you sure? You literally just woke up."

I laughed softly. "I heal pretty quickly. Now come on, help me out."

Donnie grabbed my arm and used his other hand to push my back. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I was a little shaky but Donnie steadied me.

"Their in the living room I'm guessing. None of them have really done anything." Donnie said as we slowly made our way to the door leading the hallway.

"You guys worry too much."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "You just died."

I gave him a raised eyebrow. "You really are the brainiac of the team aren't cha?"

He swatted the back of my head. "Even after being in deaths bed, you still manage to have sarcasm pouring out of that trap of yours."

I chuckled. "And I will until the very end big guy."

He smiled as we approached the living room. "I'll go first."

I crossed my arms, my strength had returned rapidly. "Is this going to be some dramatic entrance?"

He shook his head but he didn't answer. I rolled my eyes and groaned softly as he entered the living room.

"Don? Your shift isn't over for another half hour?" I heard Splinters voice muster out.

Don chuckled. "My shifts over."

Apparently, nobody noticed me standing in the doorway of the living room. I just stood there watching them stare at Donnie with confusion. But of course, only Master Splinter, who was sitting in lotus position beside the couch, noticed me. He gave me a warm smile. I returned it before looking at my brothers.

I smirked. "You know, I really worry about you guys sometimes. Being ninjas and all, you should be aware of your surroundings. Especially when your previously dead little sister is standing in the doorway of this living room right behind Donatello."

Everyone's attention snapped to my voice. Raph, Leo and Mikey stared at me for a moment before charging me and grasping me in a big embrace.

"Guys you're going to make me lose another life if you squeeze me any harder!" I gasped out, laughing.

A chorus of 'Sorrys' were said and they let go, but they all kept the grins on their face. Raph squeezed my shoulder.

"Glad you're up kiddo." He grunted before walking back over to the couch.

Mikey gave me a hug around the waist. I laughed and patted Mikey's head that was currently at my waist. He looked up at me, now with a sad frown. "Im sorry."

I tilted my head. "For what?"

He didn't answer. And he didn't need to. It hit me. This is the sixth time he's watched me die. Four times when him and I were kidnapped, once at the Foot headquarters when we battled with the elemental statues and now this time. He has watched the fire die in my eyes every single god forsaken time.

"Oh Mikey." I whispered, giving him a tight embrace.

He sniffed a little and let go. Leo stood behind him. He stared at me for a moment before we both stepped into a tight embrace. Leo didn't say anything. He just gripped me tightly. Exactly like how he did after we had reunited after the shipwreck on Yamatai.

"Jade?"

Cody was standing in the doorway of the living room. He was frozen in place with his eyes wide. Starlee was behind him. Her turquoise face had alight pink shade on it from crying.

"You're alive?"

I looked down at myself and back at him. "Looks like it." I grinned.

Both Cody and Starlee rushed to hug me.

_Is this how's it going be everytime I come back? Hug fests?_

"We thought you were dead."

"I was. I told you Cody, I have some freaky extra lives."

Coy shook his head. "I thought you were just pulling a prank."

I chuckled weakly. "No Cody. I wasn't kidding."

I let go of them and gave them reassuring smiles before walking back to the couch and sitting down next to Donnie. "So... Who was that alien thing at the theater?"

* * *

_"No Jade!" Leo cried. Her body had slowly been struggling less and less against the purple tentacle that hung her from the second level of the theater. _

_"Tell me what you know about the Day of Awakening." The alien growled._

_"We don't know what you're talking about! Now let our sister go!" Raph yelled furiously. _

_The alien attacked. He had so many tentacles that he hardly needed to move. Their first priority right now was to cut the tentacle that hung Jade by the neck. And she only had a few moments before it was too late. Cody had tried several times to push past with Turtle X. He even tried shooting the tentacle so it would at least drop Jade._

_No luck. _

_Peacekeeper sirens sounded outside the theater. _

_"No... Not Peacekeepers. It's too early." The alien muttered angrily. He let himself have one last glare at the turtles and Cody before disappearing out the back door. Nobody followed him. Not their concern. Cody shot the tentacle holding Jade and her body fell to the floor with a heavy thump. Leo pried the goop off her hands behind her while Raph sliced the tenticle off her neck. _

_She was pale. Donnie checked her vitals but with no luck, he gave up. _

_"Dead."_

* * *

"So we don't know who that freaky guy was?" I asked.

Everybody nodded their heads.

"What I want to know is what this 'Day of Awakening' is." Leo remarked. The alien had mentioned that several times over and over again.

"Whatever it is, it's scary!" Mikey shrieked.

"I do believe we will be finding out sometime soon although." Splinter said thoughtfully.

"Oh what's new." I muttered.

I heads the elevator door open up in the hallway. Serlings voice carried into the living room.

"Master, I bought your favorite. Mossued Balls. They were on sale so I got as much as I carry. And I though since maybe-" He stopped at the entrance of the living room and looked directly at me. "Oh Miss Jade!" He cried happily. His mechanical eyes glowed. "You are alive!"

I was a little surprised to see Serling, or everyone, behave like this. "Of course I'm alive. Who else is going to stop these losers from breaking all the china?" I gestured to my brothers.

Serling gave me what looked similar to someone scrunching their forehead. "You are part of that destruction although. Nice try."

I shrugged. "I try harder than they do."

Serling seemed to agree slightly that statement. He wandered into the kitchen and craked open the cans of what he claimed her "Mossued Balls". I felt Raph punch my arm.

I rubbed it. "Ow. What was that for?"

"I try harder than they do?" Raph mimicked what I had said to Serling.

I have him a sly grin. "Well I do."

Raph pounced. He tickled my sides. I screamed, laughed and struggled all at the same time. When I couldn't take it anymore. I managed to get my foot on his plastron and push him off the couch. I jumped over the back side.

"It doesn't take you very long to recover from death does it?" Cody asked, chuckling. Although I didn't reply since my brothers had tackled me to the living room floor.

* * *

The "Mossued Balls" looked like green slop. It tasted like a mix of kale, lettuce and spinach. _Gross. _

"This is what passes for food in the future?" I asked Cody in distaste as I put the slop on my spoon and let it fall slowly off into the bowl.

"Serling only buys the best! I can guarantee our food is a lot healthier than the food during your time." Cody said as he put a mouthful of Mossused Balls in his mouth.

"But our food actually tastes good." I muttered, putting the spoon in the bowl and pushing it forward.

"Ya... I'm digging the mossy goodness." Raph grunted sarcastically, pushing his bowl forward as well.

Mikey was going through the cupboards pulling out cans of food and whining that none of them were junk food. He threw the cans one by ones. Even when he wasn't looking, every single can hit Serling in the head. Every god damn one. Eventually, Serling just let the cans hit his metal face. His eyes glared at me as I started laughing hysterically. I couldn't help it, it was pretty funny. Mikey eventually had gone through the entire cupboard, finding nothing to his interest.

"I don't want healthy. I want good. Good as in bad! Cheese dogs, cheeseburgers, chicken fried steak, pizza-"

Raph threw his spoon at Mikey's head. It made its mark with a small _ping. _"We get the picture."

Cody just chuckled. "Nobody eats that stuff anymore! I mean if you really wanted to, you could try downtown. They might have something?" He suggested.

Mikey threw his arms up with a grin on his face. "Downtown it is! Lead the way Cody!"

Cody didn't get the chance to say anything before Darius walked in, interrupting the conversation. "Downtown? That won't be possible for you today."

Cody looked a little confused. Serling walked next to Darius. "Master, have you forgotten about today's appointment?"

"The O'Neal tech board review?" Darius answered for him. "You need to... Inspire the troops. Shouldn't take more than a couple of hours."

Cody sighed and stood up from the table. "Oh, right. Sorry guys." He apologized to us before starting to walk away. "You'll have to tour downtown without me." He gave us a small wave before following Darius and Serling.

"Looks like it's just us then." Donnie remarked.

Leo looked at me. "You feeling up for this?" He had a small spark of worry in his eyes.

To be in all honesty. No I wasn't. Not really. I had a bad feeling about returning to the downtown area again. But there was no way in hell I was letting my brothers go alone. I was never going to let them go off on their own and have them get into a fight without me and get hurt. I wasn't ever going to let that happen. That's a promise I made myself years ago.

"Of course." I replied, getting up from the table. "I'll get my stuff."

I could feel my brothers eyes watching me the whole way.

* * *

"I just can't get over this city. New Manhattan, built right over our old Manhattan." Donnie said as he parked the hovercraft he rode.

"Enough talking. I smell food!" Mikey cheered as he ran over to a hot dog stand down the street. He stopped at the window opening of the stand. "Cheese dogs! One hundred percent beefy goodness filled with dreamy cheesiness!"

The man in the stand laughed. "One hundred percent? Yes. Beef? No. Rumpy with no cheese." He bent down.

I glanced at Raph and mouth _"rumpy?"_

He shrugged.

The man stood up straight and showed Mikey a hot dog that was jammed between two pieces of bread with worms and more that green slop shit. "Tube worm juice! More protein than cheese!" The man exclaimed excitedly.

"I think gonna be sick." I gagged, turning get back.

"I'll take a dozen." I heard Mikey say.

"I think I'm gonna be sick too." Donnie gulped.

The man graciously prepared a dozen of the disgusting hot dogs that a tiny kid could have put together like a mud pie. We walked down the sidewalk of downtown while Mikey are away at them.

"Isn't this great?" Leo asked us. "Being able to walk out in the open with no screaming and running away from us like we're monsters?"

I felt a big pang of guilt and sorry for my brothers. They never got to do anything on the surface that involved other people. Even if it was something simple like getting groceries. That has always been my job. And I knew my brothers wished they could do that too. But our century would never accept them. To the people in 2014, my brothers were _freaks._ They always had to worry about getting caught on camera or being spotted by pedestrians.

"The competition for the term 'monster' is a lot fiercer here." Raph said, gesturing to the many dozens of different alien species walking about. "But with the way Mikey scarfed down all those tube worm dogs, I think he's in the running."

Mikey threw away the bag as we turned down a street where we were alone. No pedestrians but us were down here. "Guys... Maybe we should turn back."

Several big guards in white robot suits, kinda like the ones from Halo as Mikey whispered to me, stood behind us. They had confederation blasters pointed in our direction. In front of us, more guards, blocking our path.

"That's why..." I grumbled.

"That's it." Raph pulled out his sais until Leo stopped him.

"No, not here. Too many civilians to risk a fire fight." He pointed down the abandoned street. "Move!"

We easily jumped past the guards and started heading down the street only to stop at a dead end. _That's what they're aren't any people on this little back street-alleyway huh?_

"Shit!" Raph muttered as we turned around to find a man standing there. Wearing sunglasses and white robes.

"Jade. I'm glad to see your still fit. After all these years."

Bishop.

I felt Mikey tense in front of me. So I pushed him to the side as I made my way to the front of the group.

"What the _hell _are you doing here?" I yelled angrily. Starting to move forward until Leo's hands grabbed my arms, holding me back to stop me from ripping Bishops pretty face off. "Let go Leo! I have unfinished business with him."

Leo ignored me, but kept a grip on my arms. "What do you want _Bishop?_" The name rolled off his tongue sourly. "And how are you even here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. But first, how would you like to work for me?" He asked it like we had been old comrades for years."

I couldn't help laughing. "Work? For you? That's the greatest joke I've ever heard in my life. What kind or work? Slicing my skin up while you tie and gag my family? Test on them? That kind of work?" I sneered. Bishop frowned.

"Times have changed Jade."

* * *

Leo struggled to keep Jade under control. She was already strong the way it was for a human girl. And he could feel the adrenaline pumping through her body. He should just let go off her and let her return the favors that Bishop had put her through. He couldn't blame her. Bishop had done horrid things to her. Kidnapped her along with the Foot when she was a small child, tortured and experimented on her and murdered her. She had every single right to loathe him. Mikey had tensed up as well. The light hearted and worry free orange banded turtle was terrified of Bishop.

Leo leaned his head next to Jades ear. "Stop. We're outnumbered and we can't risk a fight with those guns."

"I don't want to walk away. We can't let him get away with what hes done." She growled, turning her toward him. "What he did to me and Mikey? He tortured us!"

Donnie, Raph and Mikey had come to huddle up by us. Donnie muttered something to Bishop about giving us a minute to talk. He nodded and patiently waited by his guards.

"I know." Leo breathed. "And we won't let that happen again. But let's just see what he wants."

"This might be the same Bishop but may I remind you that technically we're 91 years in the future and-" Donnie started rambling.

"Enough with the technicalities Donnie." Jade scowled again, breaking free of Leo's grip. She gave Mikey a hard look. "What do you want to do?"

Mikey gave a short glance at Bishop. "Don's right. It wouldn't be the same kicking this dudes ass 'cause... Well it just wouldn't. We need to take him out in our own century." He said a little timidly.

She didn't answer at first. But eventually gave in. She would accept Mikeys choice just because she thought Mikey was more wounded from their kidnapping with Bishop than she was. "Fine. Whatever."

Leo kept his hand on Jades shoulder, just in case she made another move. But also to comfort her in any way he could.

"So what kind of work?" Leo repeated the question In a dark tone.

Bishop smirked. "Like I said. Times have changed. I spent centuries fighting back against the inevitable alien menaces. Then realized that all i had done was waste precious time and resources. So I choose a new tactict. I decided that the best way to defend Earth from the aliens, was to make them our allies. Hence, the Pan Galactic Alliance was born. An organization dedicated to the fair representation of all races from Earth and beyond with peace as a common goal. And of course, I became its president. In an honest election, I assure you."

Jade huffed with disbelief.

"Despite my best efforts, the peace is tenuous. Earth is still a target of the galaxies greedy and corrupt. But as a nonpartisan official, I can no longer show favoritism for Earth nor take matters into my own hands. My sources inform me that a notorious intergalactic mercenary named Torben Zigth will arrive on Earth tomorrow for a meeting at Abroc's Abyss."

"Then… why not just arrest him?" Leo asked suspiciously.

"I was hoping to catch him as well as his conspirators. An open assault to tip them off." His head moved slowly as he stared at each of us through his black shades. "If I had some covert operatives working on my behalf… A team working comfortably in the shadows. Besides, we're not entirely certain what he looks like. With Zigth in Manhattan, I have no doubt destruction will follow. Unless you trust me and stop him."

He snapped his fingers and disappeared. _He was a holoform._

* * *

Back at the penthouse, the guys explained to Cody what happened. I stood in front of the massive window, staring at the city.

"I can't believe it! You guys met President Bishop?" Cody sounded a little jealous.

I turned and glared at him. "What? Mister rich kid hasn't met the president yet?" I sneered.

"That's enough Jade." Leo said sternly. He gave me a warning look.

I rolled my eyes and huffed, turning back toward the window. Cody didn't seem to mind my temper at the moment. I'm guessing he was starting to get used to it.

"So Bishop wasn't feeding us a load of shit?" Raph asked.

"No! He's really the president! A great one too. Everybody loves him. He's been incredible to the city and alien rights."

Donnie was sitting at the holoscreen computer. "Hey guys! Come here."

Everyone moved but me. I caught a glimpse of the holoscreen. It was man in a long maroon robe. A picture that someone had taken.

"I've been looking up the dirt on this Zigth guy. He's a troublemaker of legendary proportions." Donnie informed as he flipped through some more pictures.

I stared back out the window as my view was blocked by my brothers.

"Those are the best pictures you could get of him?" Leo asked. "He could be anyone under that get up!"

"He sounds pretty bad." I heard Donnie turn the screen off.

"But it still doesn't prove that Bishop has come over from the dark side." Raph growled, walking over to the couch and flopping down on it.

"No, but what if the president is right and this Zigth guy does something bad and nobody stops him!" Cody exclaimed.

"Not on our watch." Leo reassured. "But if it's a trap, we'll make sure Bishop wishes he was never reborn."

I turned around in a huff and headed for the door, planning to go to the dojo. "If it's a trap, don't be mad when I say _I told you so._"

* * *

The dojo was my only serenity in this god awful excuse for the future. Back home, I would usually train with Leo or go topside with Raph to listen to the police scanners for the nightly crimes when I was bored or upset. And as much as I would love to explore this new Manhattan city, it was just too dangerous. Plus my brothers would rather sit around the penthouse, except for Raph. But even he knew better than to go off.

I decided to skip the fighting this time. I clicked the button on the remote and the room transfigured to a rooftop of an apartment complex like the ones back home. It had the New York city skyline as a view. It was as beautiful as it always was. I could feel the soft breeze softly running over my skin and through my hair and I could hear the sounds of the city. Police sirens, cars honking. Usually I would stick with the view of the Cherry Blossom Trees in the teahouse, but I was so homesick. I sat on the ledge of the rooftop, staring at the city. Wanting nothing more than to return.

* * *

Raph approached the sliding doors of the dojo. Jade had been in there for a few hours doing who knows what. He sighed and walked through, the doors opened and he found himself standing in front of a familiar sight.

New York.

He stood on one of the familiar rooftops of the city's suburban area, with Jade sitting on the ledge.

"Leo, I'm not in the mood to talk." She didn't turn around to see who it was actually.

Raph chuckled softly enough for himself to hear. Leonardo was always the one to go and talk to Jade. He knew that him and Jade were closest and they always were the first ones to go to each other for advice. But this time, Leo had decided to consult with Splinter, leaving Jade by herself. Raph always did get annoyed by Leo being the second Master Splinter and he didn't really know how Jade dealt with him as often as she did. So he found it amusing that this was the time she didn't want to talk to him.

"Why are you always assuming things kiddo?"

Jade slowly turned around. "Raph? What do you… You know what? Nevermind, but same goes for you. I don't want to talk."

Raph stood behind her and spun a sai in his hand, smirking. "You're still assuming things. Who said I wanted to talk?"

Jade let a slow smile tug at her lips.

* * *

We stood outside Abroc's Abyss the next night, Getting the GPS location from Cody, it was deep in the downtown area.

"Well… It looks normal enough." Mikey commented.

I started walking for the door. "By normal, you mean it looks kind a like a strip club right?"

Raph snickered. "All right!"

We walked through the doors at they slid open by themselves. Unfortunately for Raph, it wasn't a strip club. More of a large bar. Aliens of different shapes and sizes walked around and chatted at different tables.

"Alright you guys. You know the plan." Leo said, loud enough for all of us to hear.

We nodded and turned on the earpieces we already had on. I turned the volume up and walked toward the bar, sitting down by a group of aliens who seemed to be having a serious conversation.

"Me the best smuggler in all the galaxy!" A big alien said with a similar maroon robe that Zigth had in the pictures I saw. "Nothing touch me! Me Torben Zigth!"

"Oh ya?" A pipsqueak purple alien gave back. "Well you should go suck a giant tube of worm juice!" He laughed along with the others in the small huddled group.

The big alien raised his giant fist, ready to pound the little alien senseless until Leo came over and grabbed his wrist. "Hey now! Take it easy! My friends and I will buy you a drink." The alien snarled and swung his other fist clumsily. Leo ducked. "Or we can do this the hard way Zigth."

I watched my brothers tackled the big guy down to the ground. I highly doubted that this enormous alien, who was like the size of Hun, could be the same man in the pictures on the web. It could be possible that he just gained 400 pounds, but then again, probably not. Then I noticed a man in another maroon robe standing by the back door. His hood covered his face but I could tell that he was amused while watching my brothers take down the boulder by the bar.

"Outside Torben Zigth. We need to talk." Leo ordered, holding his katana to the aliens throat.

"That's not Zigth." I muttered into the earpiece, slowly standing up and keeping my stare on the man by the back door. He took a step back when I stood up. "That is."

The man burst through the back door and headed into an alleyway with me right behind him. He was extremely fast. I stopped around the corner where a dead end was. The moon was shining, showing a clear view of the dead end. I stayed behind the wall in the shadow it provided. Zigth had stopped and looked behind him, smirking. He thought that I had given up the short chase.

_Idiot. _

Zigth climbed up the fire escape and onto the rooftop. I felt my brothers fall behind me as we all silently jumped up to the ledge of the rooftop. Zigth was standing in front of the familiar purple alien that had murdered me in the theater. I tensed up and got ready to charge until Leo grabbed my arm and shook his head.

"Let's see what this is about."

I didn't want to see what this was about. I wanted revenge.

_Wow I sound like Raph. The whole act first, ask questions later. _

"I am called… Sh'Okanabo." The alien introduced himself with his deep raspy voice.

Zigth looked amused. "Right. That's the smalltalk portion of the meeting. What's the job?" He asked, clapping his hands together.

Sh'Okanabo gave him a small brown package. Zigth took it and red the small holographic message on it. "You're laying down all these credits for a moon run? That's it? That's like using a bazooka to kill a fly."

Sh'Okanabo started to walk away on his two legs. _What happened to the octopus getup he had?_

"Just deliver the package. And do not fail me." Sh'Okanabo didn't wait for an answer as he disappeared off the side of the building.

I couldn't wait. I jumped onto the rooftop. "I'm not done with you yet pal." I said as I spun a shuriken in my hand.

Zigth just laughed. "Oh no, I've been found." He jumped to the other side of the rooftop. "But you've been Zigthed." He winked at me before jumping off the roof and landing on his hovercraft.

Donnie acted quickly as he threw a tracker on the side of the hovercraft before it could get too far away.

"You've been Zigthed? That's the lamest thing I've ever heard." I muttered as we jumped into the Hover Shell.

"Alright Donnie. Where are we headed?"

"The Moonport. Gateway to the galaxy. If you're a smuggler, it's the fastest way off Earth." He steered to a smaller part of the enormous complex. "There's the Howard Gravity Lift! It's a way to launch the ships at incredible speeds and everything on board survives the trip to the moon!"

"How the hell do you know all that?" Raph asked, giving Donnie a look like he was the biggest geek to walk the planet. Which he kinda was.

"Cody's almanac holo vids. We travel the world so you don't have to!" He mimicked the familiar channels jingle.

Parking the Hover Shell a few yards away from Zigths hovercraft, we raced for the high cement wall that he had just jumped over. A big sign on the wall read _Restricted Extra-Terran Defense Grid._

I actually knew what that meant. "Satellites stationed around the Earth to detect illegal or cloaked ships that are entering the Earths atmosphere." I explained. Donnie looked impressed. "I pay attention to the almanac channel too."

"See? TV is good for you." Mikey grinned.

I chuckled as we jumped over the wall and watched Zigth break into the back door. _There always happened to be a back door to somewhere huh?_

The backdoor led to a big room with a ship in the middle that was positioned similar to a rocket. It was pointed toward a hole in the ceiling. This was the next flight to the moon, and Zigth had just jumped into the open door on the ground level of the ship.

"He went in there." I said, pointing.

"Looks like the entrance to the cargo bay." Donnie informed thoughtfully as we followed, running between the big boxes of luggage and cargo that hid us from the robots who were lifting and piling the crates on board.

Zigth took out the package and slammed it onto one of the crates. "Best way to smuggle off planet is in the cargo hold." He muttered happily to himself.

"And the best way to get discovered is to talk to yourself out loud." Leo commented sarcastically.

"Of course… the tracker we planted on your hovercraft didn't help you either." Donnie added.

Raph tackled Zigth to the ground with Leo and Mikey

"Don! Jade! Get the package!"

We raced over to the package that was planted on the crate. As soon as I approached it, metal legs shot out of the package. Donnie pulled me back just as one of the metal legs plunged through the floor next to me.

"Handle with care huh?" I muttered, giving Donnie grateful thanks.

Zigth stopped. "On no… No!"

Leo snapped his glare on him. "This another one of your lame tricks?"

Zigth looked a little worried. "It's a bomb you idiot."

"Um excuse me? I thought you said-"

Zigth stopped me. "It's a bomb. A neutrino splitter. Effective with a fumble trigger. Try to chop it out, open or disarm it and you're toast along with everyone within a mile radius."

Raph yelled in his fury and grabbed Zigth by his robe, pushing him against a crate roughly. "There are passengers on this ship. Are you insane?!"

Zigth struggled. "I didn't know! I just delivered the package. It's not like it was labeled _bomb._"

"We need a plan, now." Leo demanded, looking at us for suggestions.

Mikey shrugged with a terrified look plastered on his face. "Um… scream very loudly?"

Zigth kneed Raph in the gut and started booking it to the exit door of the cargo hold. Leo stopped Raph from charging after him. "Let him go. There are innocent people on this ship. We need to get them off!"

We felt the ship move. It was getting ready to launch. "Shit."

Raph glanced at me. "Can't you use your mind mojo to disable the bomb?"

I shook my head. "No! You heard what Zigth said! Any kind of disabling would set it off!"

Leo pushed us toward the door where the passengers were seated. Everyone gasped as we bursted into the room. Donnie and I pushed forward to the pilots quarters while Leo, Raph and Mikey tried to convince the civilians to get to the escape pods.

The "Pilot" was a mechanical robot.

"Captain!" Donnie yelled. "We have to get this ship to a safe distance! If the bomb blows, it could take out the whole Moonport!"

The robots head turned to the side. It wasn't a robot like Serling with a personality and actual real feelings or anything. "Cannot abort sir. Ship is locked onto one way channel."

"Then is there any way to make this ship go faster? Cut the line and take off before the bomb explodes?"

The robot turned his head back to the controls. "Yes. Override autopilot."

I looked around the room. "Where's the autopilot?"

The robot gave me a short look. "I am the autopilot."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course you are." I pushed the robot to the side and started typing on the keyboard in front of me.

Leo, Raph and Mikey bursted into the room. "The good news is that the civilians are off the ship in the escape pods."

"Bad news is that there aren't any escape pods left!" Mikey squeaked.

"I'm overriding the autopilot. I can't stop the bomb, but I can launch it as far away from the city as possible so no one gets hurt."

_Ship launch sequence initiated in ten seconds._

"Look!" Raph was pointing out the window of the room.

Zigth was driving the Hover Shell. He landed it on top of the ship and pressed a button that sent a beam through the ships windows and onto the floor in front of us. A transport beam that would bring us into the Hover Shell.

_Ship launch sequence initiated in five seconds._

"Time to go!" I jumped into the beam and was immediately surrounded by the familiar seats of the Hover Shell. My brothers appeared behind me.

"Hang on!" I heard Zigth yell out.

_Launch sequence initiated. _

The Hover Shell was still parked on the ship as it took off. But as soon as the ship exited the building, Zigth pulled on the wheel and sent the Hover Shell flying backwards, detaching ourselves from the ship as it flew up towards the moons. It exploded within seconds.

"That was a close one." I breathed out. Donnie patted my back.

"You did good Jade."

Zigth parked the Hover Shell next to his hovercraft back by the Moonport.

"Um… thanks for switching from coward mode to rescue mode?" Mikey said, scratching his head in a confused motion.

Zigth nodded. "I thought you guys were just bounty hunters. But when I saw you go back to rescue the passengers… I may be the great mercenary Torben Zigth, but I'm no monster. I swear I didn't know what the package was!"

"So Sho'Okanabo did?" I asked, already knowing the answer. But I was curious to see what Zigth would say.

He gave me tilted head. "You know him?"

All of us nodded at the same time. "We have unfinished business with him." Leo stated darkly.

Zigth pointed at us. "You find him, save a piece for me. I owe him."

"We owe you. But we can't let you leave."

"What makes you think I would be dumb enough to give you a choice? I'm already gone." Zigth laughed and disappeared.

I was really starting to hate holograms.

Donnie put his hands on his hips, looking impressed. "This guy is good."

I smirked. _Ya… he was._

Zigths hovercraft lifted off the ground and flew away. Raph glared at it until it was out of sight. "Showoff." He fumed.

* * *

Bishop met with us through _another _hologram later that night. His guards stopped by the Moonport so that they could bring us to a room for a private conversation with him.

"While I would have preferred that a ten million credit transport hadn't been destroyed… Your work was exceptional gentlemen. And lady."

I curled my lip slightly.

"You saved many, many lives tonight. Tonights explosion temporarily knocked out our defense grid, and I do not believe that it is a coincidence."

Leo glanced at me before talking to the blue hologram. "What do you know about this Sho'Okanabo guy?"

"A myth. An alien boogie man. Zigth meant to throw you off balance, hoping you'd know the story." Bishop replied, talking as if we we had a little stupidity for believing in Sho'Okanabo.

"He's real. And you know why?" I started. "Because he murdered me three nights ago at the theater downtown."

Bishop looked a little thrown off guard. "How many do you have left?"

My brothers looked confused. They all turned to me. "How many left of what?" Leo asked.

I knew exactly what he meant though. I sighed and clenched my jaw.

"Five. I have five lives left."

"I'm impressed that you still have that many." Bishop said.

I gave him a nasty look. "Considering you were the cause of the loss of four of them."

"Only four? I thought it had been more than that for sure." Bishops hologram disappeared, leaving me with those words bottled in my head on repeat.

"What does he mean by that?" Mikey's worried voice interrupted my zoning out.

I looked directly at my four older brothers. Somehow I could tell that they knew what he meant, but I figured I should say it anyway.

"It means that Bishop is the cause of more of my deaths."


	15. Suspicion

**This chapter is based on "Invasion of the Body Snatcher"**

**Chapter 15: Suspicion**

* * *

"Alright guys. Here are the suits." Cody said as Serling handed each of my brothers a different colored suit. They were the colors of their bandanas. Seeing my mutant brothers in a classy suit was going to be priceless. "And Jade, Starlee brought your dress to your room. She said she wants to help you get ready."

"Help me get ready? I thought she had to get ready too?"

Cody nodded and shrugged. "Ya, But I guess she's always wanted to do someone's hair before and she's getting ready at O'Neal tech with a couple of her coworkers. Plus she said she wanted to see what you would think of the dress she picked out for you."

"Oh… right." I glanced at my brothers were muttering over their suits before walking to my room.

Cody wanted us to go with him to O'Neal techs big charity event tonight. He didn't really want to go but Darius was forcing him. My brothers and I said we would tag along to keep him company but we had to dress up. Like fancy dress up. I wasn't a fan of wearing anything other than my usual black skinny jeans and t-shirt.

Starlee was waiting for me in my room, pulling out the dress I was supposedly going to wear. She beamed at me when I closed to the door behind me.

"Jade! You're going to _love _your dress! I had it totally picked out for you!" She handed me a silky, blood red gown.

_Well I do like the color…_

Slipping it on, the flowy fabric fell to my ankles. It almost shimmered in the light of the room. The straps were thin as they went over my shoulders to the backless portion of the dress. I stood in front of the mirror.

"Woah…" Starlees jaw was down. "I knew you would like the color… but Jade, you're hot."

I blushed a little bit but laughed. She handed me a pair of black heels. Open toed with at least two inches to the small, thin heel. Plain, but very pretty.

"I don't know. It's super pretty but I feel like a doll." I mumbled, looking back at myself in the mirror.

Starlee gave me a sympathetic smile. "Well you're always in the same clothes. I highly doubt you've ever worn a dress before so of course you're going to feel a little awkward!" She then held up a curling iron, grinning. "Now… time to do your hair."

I sighed and gave her a small, nervous smile and sat down in the chair in front of the mirror. We chatted for the long hour it took for her to do my hair. She curled it beautifully. I was a little timid on asking her to put it into a messy bun but she graciously agreed. She said it would be more _elegant._ I just laughed and watched her. She was very concentrated as she put each individual bobby pin into place. I was surprised that there were still bobby pins in the future to begin with.

"Finished." She said. My hair was in a high, loose bun, a couple tiny soft curls fell around the side of my face.

"Starlee, you should have been a hairstylist." I praised as I got up off the chair and took a step closer to the mirror to admire her handy work.

Starlees turquoise cheeks turned a shade of pink. "Do you want a little makeup?"

I glanced back at the mirror. My eyelashes were already long and black, they had a natural curl so I didn't need any touching up with them. My fair skin and nude lips didn't need the color. I didn't want makeup on really. I was never a fan of makeup.

"No, I'm good." I gave Starlee a appreciated hug.

"Alright, I have to go then. I'll tell the others you'll be out in a minute!" She smiled and walked out of the room with a slightly excited skip in her step.

I giggled and took one last look in the mirror before putting on the thigh strap for the gun I had. I wasn't going anywhere without some kind of weapon. Cody could get us into O'Neal tech without having to go through any kind of security. After strapping it on, I walked into the hallway where I could hear my brothers voices laughing fro the living room.

Now I _really _wish I had a camera. My brothers each had their own suit on and I couldn't help but giggle at them. The suits looked a little funky since it buldhed out in the back from their shells. So they kept the suit unbuttoned. Mikey was bouncing around the living room shouting.

"It's _so_ party time! Shout it out dudes!"

Raph grumbled and pulled on the collar of his suit. "Sure, if this monkey suit doesn't choke me to death first."

I smirked. "I think you look rather dashing in the monkey suit Raph."

Everyones jaws dropped.

"Jade my dear. You look absolutely lovely." Master Splinter walked over to me and grabbed my hand with both is his.

I blushed. "Thank you Sensei."

"I still don't understand why I have to go to this charity event. Uncle Darius does all the talking." Cody muttered after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Well you're heir to the company Cody!" Donnie said as we all started heading for the elevator. "It is your company anyways."

"Besides, the place is going to be filled with movie stars and celebrities..." Mikey added.

Cody groaned. "And shareholders, accountants, boring experts on boredom."

"O'Neal tech is a important part of your identity Cody. A true ninja must be able to face all sides of himself." Master Splinters advice on being a true ninja sometimes for kind of annoying.

"Exactly!" Mikey slapped Cody on the back. "So let loose and release your inner party animal!"

"This isn't that kind of party Mikey!" I laughed.

* * *

I struggled to walk in the heels at first. I've never actually worn a pair and if I handy had ninja training, my balance would be causing me to stumble and land on my face. Plus Leo hooked his arm with mine. If I did fall, I was definitely going I get shit from Raph and Mikey for the rest of my life and probably longer than that.

The _"party" _was extremely lame. We walked into the main lobby which seemed to be the size of a football field. It was filled with people chatting and drinking champagne. Classical music was playing.

"Now remember, you are ninja. Carry yourselves with pride and decorum." Master Splinter reminded us for the third time today. "Now, if you will all excuse me, I am off on a quest to find some piggies in a blanket... Those are always the first to go."

I chuckled as he walked away from us. As soon as he was out of earshot, Mikey pushed between Raph and Donnie. "Where are the celebrities? I have plenty of pens and plenty of shell space left on my pad!"

Leo shook his head. "Pride and decorum, that ring a bell Mikey?"

Before Mikey could answer, the lights went out. A bright beam shot up in the middle of the room. It was surround a podium that rose up on a small round stage. Darius was on it. A holo form of O'Neal techs logo was hovering beside him.

"Ladies and gentlemen and off worlders, since it's founding almost a century ago, O'Neal tech has been has been at the fourth front for promoting peace and harmony through the galaxy." Darius tapped the holoform logo, it was replaced with a picture of April and Casey."In fact our founding charter prohibits us from making weapons of any kind."

Everyone began clapping. I smiled seeing the picture of April and Casey. But it made me even more homesick than usual.

"Today we continue our proud tradition of peace. So please, eat, drink and give until it hurts." Darius bowed and the beam of light disappeared. The regular lights turned on again.

Raph turned to Cody. "I know he's your uncle but there's still something about him that I don't trust."

Cody smiled and shook his head. "Uncle Darius can rub people the wrong way. But he's always been great to me and he's kept O'Neal tech on track."

Darius choose that same moment to walk up to us. "Cody. I'm so pleased. It's good to see that your sense of responsibility hasn't been completely eroded by the company you keep. Come. A better class of colleagues await." He pushed Cody along and turned back to us. "And turtles, try not to impale anyone." He then glanced at me. "Your pretty face could prove fatal." He sneered before walking away.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be honored or offended by that statement. Either way, it can from Darius and his attitude was pushing me close to the edge. I crossed my arms and glared after him. "Oh my pretty face? Huh you mother-" I was muttering to myself.

Donnie patted my shoulder. "Don't listen to him."

I rolled my eyes but had a smirk formed. "I'm not."

Mikey suddenly ran off to blonde girl who was chasing after Darius for a "exclusive interview". He grabbed her hand.

"Are you recording? Am I gonna be on TV?" He was asking rapidly. The blonde girl looked surprised then a little confused. Mikey's brow scrunched up in away I've never seen before. He looked like Raph when he was pissed off.

"I'm gonna go check on him." I muttered to my brothers before walking over to him.

I didn't catch what Mikey had said but he sound angry. Darius was behind Mikey and the blonde reporter and looked a little confused. "Well though I'm sure this is the height of a intellectual conversation, but if you will excuse me." He started to walk away again.

Mikey took a coupes steps after Darius. "Hey wait! I have something I gotta say-"

I stopped Mikey by grabbing his arm. "Knock if off Mikey. Sure the guys a jerk but this is Cody's night." I started pushing him towards Leo and Master Splinter. "Besides, Master Splinter wants us to meet someone. I think he wants to show off."

Mikey persisted but I finally managed to bring him to Leo and Splinter. They were by three aliens in long brown robes. Splinter looked please to see me and Mikey.

"Ah, there you two are. Please meet the monks of Meeg. They use a fascinating form of metaphysics resembling our own connection to Chi. Michelangelo, please demonstrate the Lotus Focus technique for our esteem colleagues."

Mikey was sweating a little. I raised an eyebrow at Leo. Usually Mikey was happy to demonstrate since he loved the spotlight.

"Well uh... Right dad! But I uh, dislocated my shoulder yesterday polishing my shell."

_Dad? _

Master Splinter narrowed his eyes. "Michelangelo, do not embarrass yourself in front of the monks of planet Meeg."

Leo grabbed Mikey's shoulders. "Egsn on the ogleh Mikey. You can redirect Chi better than anyone-" He stopped. Both Mikey and Leo looked liked they just had migraine.

Leo's head shot up and he put Mikey's arms above his head. "Right! Arms up and Chi away!" He glared at me and Master Splinter. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have matters to discuss with Darius Dunn."

Leo walked away. The venom that was in his voice sounded nothing like him. Mikey groaned a little bit. "What happened? Are we playing charades? Am I winning?"

Master Splinter shook his head in embarrassment. I grabbed Mikey's arm and glanced at Splinter. "Something's wrong. Sorry!"

I pulled Mikey away and found Raph and Donnie and over when I had left them. "Guys something is seriously wrong."

"What?" Raph asked.

"Leo just ran off because he need to talk to _Darius _but he didn't sound like himself at all! And Mikey tried to do the same thing earlier!" I pointed to where Leo had started stomping off to.

We tried not make a scene, but we hurried over to Leo. "Hey fearless leader! What gives?" Raph called.

Leo pointed at Darius. His voice still sounded really funky. "I just need to talk to Dunn."

"Is he up to something?" Mikey asked.

Donnie walked up to Leo and out a hand on his shoulder. "Seriously Leo, maybe you should sit down. I'll get you some water?" He suggested hopefully.

Leo curled his lip. "Will you grow some ears? I'm fine!" He yelled as he pushed Donnie into me. We both toppled to the floor.

"What the hell Leo?" Raph asked as Mikey and Raph helped us to our feet. "You trying to get us in trouble or is your shell cracked?"

Leo looked incredibly confused. He rubbed his head and his normal voice had returned. "What are you guys talking about?"

We didn't answer since Darius's voice carried through the lobby. I know he acted funny all the time but now he acted _really _funny. He stuttered to the group of accounts he was talking to, then stormed off. Cody looked embarrassed as he apologized to the accountants who didn't look pleased.

Cody awkwardly left the group and walked over to us. "Did you see that? Uncle Darius totally just spaced out!"

Raph crossed my arms. "He isn't the only one. Leo and Mikey had their own blank spots too."

Leo's confused face glanced from Raph to Cody. "I have no idea what you're talking about. One second I'm watching Mikey embarrass Master Splinter as he-"

Mikey cut him off hysterically. "Me? I was trying to get an autograph from a reporter and then you started making me pose like a doll!"

Donnie stopped both of them. "Wait, so neither of you remember acting strangely?"

"And Uncle Darius is acting buggy too." Cody said suspiciously.

I nodded. "Something's up. Let's go find Darius."

Cody thought he might have gone to the corridor were the elevators were. He was right. Darius had just placed his hand on the plate next to the elevator and stepped inside.

"Uncle Darius!"

"Hey fatty!" Raph called out. He seemed to enjoy that for a moment.

Darius didn't acknowledge us as the elevator shut.

"That was really weird. He didn't even flinch! And he hates being called fatty." Cody said as he tried to put his hand on the plate next to the elevator.

"Where does that elevator go?" Leo asked.

"Restricted areas. The other ones are for everybody else." Cody said as the plate scanned his hand. A red buzzer went off along with an automated voice.

_Denied._

"Denied? I'm supposed to have access to all levels of the building?"

I studied the plate and our my hand on it.

"What are you doing Jade?" Cody asked. "It won't let you in."

"If I can unlock doors by touching the lock, who's to say I can't hack in and unlock it this way too?" I concentrated on the access codes. I could see numbers and letters in my mind that were set up like security codes.

The plate turned green. _Access granted. _The elevator opened.

Cody's jaw dropped in disbelief. "What? How?"

I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the elevator. "Remember those powers I talked about? Well that was one of them."

"Hacking?"

I shrugged. "Sort of. More of being able to control technology. I'm not very good at it but I can easily shut down security cameras and unlock doors by using a little concentration and the flick of my fingers."

"There was this one time where she actually mutilated a gun. The dents that were left of the gun were incredible! She has some form of telekinesis too." Donnie added a little enthusiastically.

I nudged Cody with my elbow. "I'll show you some more at the penthouse. I haven't worked on it for awhile so I'm not very strong."

"But it comes in handy." Raph smirked as he patted my head.

I laughed softly as the doors of eh elevator slid open again. It was an armory. Guns were placed on every square inch of the wall. Grenades and launchers were placed on tables scattered across the room.

"I... I don't understand." Cody started. He glanced at Leo.

Leo made a hand gesture. _Move in quietly. _

I slipped my heels off since they were causing a distraction and were a little loud. I lifted the dress up a bit and followed my brothers and Cody inside. We stopped beside a table with a few state of the art sniper rifles on it. Raph picked it up with googly eyes.

"I've never been on this level before. I... I thought it was all storage." Cody whispered, was still looking around the room in disbelief.

Raph and I stared at the gun he was holding. "It's like... R&D. Rampage and destruction."

He gave me a small knuckle bump. We were both freaks when it came to the dangerous world of firearms, thinking they were incredibly cool. Raph put the gun back on the table as the door on the other side of the room opened up.

Darius was in a full suit of armor. Giant cannons were locked into us from his shoulder. "Party's over!" He cried happily.

"Uncle Darius!" Cody gasped.

"Oh this is _too good._" Darius replied. His voice sounded a little funny, even for him. "The crime of the century! And, a little revenge to go with it!" His cannons started to light up as they got ready to fire.

"Get down!" Donnie pushed me down next to him behind a table as bullets pinged the walls around the room.

"Jade! Do you think you could try and shut down his cannons?" Donnie yelled over the sounds of the guns and cannons firing the inside of the room.

"Yes, but you guys gotta keep him occupied!"

Donnie nodded. "Guys! We need to give Jade some cover now!"

They nodded from behind the few tables across from us. "Cody, stay here." Leo said.

"Alright guys... Go!"

They jumped up at the same time. Giving me the time to stand up. One hand was an open palm that I kept close to my head, my other hand was extended all the out with my pointer and middle finger aimed at suit of armor.

It was as though I had a display across my face that only I could see. _Kinda like Iron Man does I guess? _

The cannon and six-barreled gatling gun were displayed in front of my face in a red outline along with a couple lines of codes. The codes need to be overridden since they were being controlled by the armor Darius controlled. Guns that were handled my hands were a different story. Those were simply to be crunched up the "telekinesis" I possessed, just as I did to Doctor Abigail Finns blaster. Overriding the codes were easy to be quite honest. I dismissed the display from the back of my mind, looking back up, the gatling gun and cannon started to smoke. Closing the palm of my hand, they imploded.

Cody was staring at me. "What the hell..."

"What?! How is that possible?" Darius was screaming from inside the armor.

I suddenly felt very weak. I fell to my knees. "Jade!" Mikey caught me right before I could collapse further. "Jade are you okay?"

I smiled weakly. "Man I should really practice that more often."

Mikey chuckled. "That _was _pretty cool dude."

"Cody! Hang on!" I heard Donnie cry.

Mikey picked me up bridal style. I lifted my head slightly to see that Darius had picked Cody up with the big metal hand of the armor. I didn't know how much strength I had left but I put my palm up anyway.

"Raph catch!" Raph looked up at me and caught on just as I flicked my hand slightly to the side. Cody flew out of Darius hand into Raph's arms.

Darius looked outraged. "You little pipsqueak! I'm going to rip your little arms off!"

"I don't think so!" Leo and Donnie both jumped up at the same time, hitting Darius in the chest. He stumbled backwards into the door behind him. He fell down the stairs that so conveniently happens to be there. The floor couldn't hold the weight of the armor after he landed at the bottom. So he fell through the floor with a heavy crash below.

"Mikey, I'm ok. Put me down." I muttered. Mikey hesitated but helped me stand on my feet. I just waved my hand toward where Darius fell through the floor. "Go, I'll be there in a minute."

He gave me a worried look, but reluctantly nodded and ran to assist his brothers. My head was swimming and my vision was little blurry but it only took me a few more moments to recover. I stayed at the top of the stairs while Cody and the my brothers looked down into the hole.

Cody pointed at Darius. "Go see if he's okay!" He ordered. That wasn't Cody's voice.

And I seemed to be the only one who noticed his voice changed. My brothers obeyed and jumped down into the hole. Cody smirked and held up a holo pad. It had codes on it of all the armor and weapons in the armory.

"I think you're all a bunch of suckers! These plans are going to make me a fortune!" He held up the futures version of a hand grenade.

I started running down the stairs toward him.

Cody didn't see me. "... And here's your cut of the fortune!" He threw the grenade through the hole.

"No!" I screamed as I tackled Cody to the ground. We fell down the next flight of stairs next to an elevator.

It went black.

* * *

The turtle brothers watched as Cody through the grenade toward them. Leo started pushing Darius suit of armor to the side. "The suit!"

"A step ahead of you bro!" They all pushed the armor to Darius side and jumped behind it just as the grenade exploded. Darius glared at the them.

"I'll have your shells for this attack!" He growled angrily.

Raph kicked the armor. "We didn't start this attack you thinks headed numbskull!"

"Well he's Darius again. Looks like our real bad guy is body jumping somehow." Donnie explained thoughtfully. "That's why you've all had memory lapses and why Darius is his charming self again."

"And that means Cody and Jade are in trouble!" Mikey pointed back up to the hole.

They all boosted each other back through the hole to find Cosy lying at the bottoms of stairs. Leo ran and knelt down next to him. "What happened?"

"Uh... Weren't we just in the armory like a second ago?" He asked, looking at the turtle brothers frantically.

"It's taken over Jade now." Donnie confirmed, getting into the elevator. "Let's go!"

It only took a couple of moments for the elevator to open back up into the lobby where the classy party still rocked on.

"There she is!"

* * *

I found myself in the middle of the lobby. _How did I get- _

"Woah!" I gasped out as I was tackled to the ground. My head hit the ground really hard. Mikey was on top of me. "Mikey what the hell? I think you just have me a concusion!"

"He's body jumped again!" Donnie muttered, helping me to my feet. Blood was running down my forehead.

_Good going Mikey. _

"But to whom?" Leo asked. Raph grabbed his shoulder and pointed.

"There's only one cat leaving the party, and he's our favorite rat."

My brothers raced off after him toward the back entrance. I rubbed my head and followed them as quickly as I could. My dress didn't really help me out though. Getting to the entrance, my brother were already fighting.

_Street phantoms. _

"It's over Jammerhead!" Leo yelled as the last of the gang members fell to the ground.

Splinter aka: Jammerhead smirked and laughed. "Not until we play a new game!" He jumped up on top of one of the trucks and then proceeded to jump off. "Catch me boys!"

My brothers all jumped at the same time. They caught him but ended up in a big dog pile. Splinter growled and threw them off. "What is the meaning of this? Why do you attack me my sons?"

"Splinters back!" Mikey cried as they all stood up. I walked over with my eyes narrowed.

"That means Jammerheads isn't in Splinter, he's in someone else." I stated, looking from one brother to another.

Leo glared at me in a way he never had.

"He's in Leo." I pointed at him.

Leo shrugged. "That's stupid. I don't think he's in any of us. Let's just bag it and call it a day."

"Bag it?" My brothers and I said in unison. "Not Leo!"

Leo backed up and grabbed his katana that was on the ground. He swung it like a madman. I noticed the puddle he stepped in.

"Donnie!" I cried, pointing at it.

He nodded and pulled out a small device that was meant to be a tracker from his pocket and threw it into the water. Leo immediately started to get electrocuted.

"Don't let his body fry too!" I screamed, starting to run toward him.

Leo's screams died as fell to the ground unconscious. A small yellow ball fell out of his hand.

Suddenly, Jammerheads body by the truck started to move. "No! My body jacker!" He screamed.

Donnie used his bo staff to crush it into small prices. It shattered like glass. "Not anymore!"

Jammerhead started to electrocute. His body squirmed on the ground. "My body jacker no!" His voice started to die like a broken toy. Then he was still.

I kneeled down next to Leo. His body was steaming a little from the electrocution. "Donnie!" I yelled as I put two fingers to his neck.

"Still breathing." I gasped in relief.

Donnie forcefully opened one of his eyes. "Pupil dilation is normal." He snapped his fingers. Leo's head jerked slightly. "He's okay. Just a little out of it."

At that moment, his eyes opened. "Ow... What happened?" He started to sit up, rubbing his head.

I chuckled. "Jammerheads down."

Raph knelt down and patted Leo's shoulder. "Ya good job fearless one. You took out the bad guy."

Leo looked so lost. "What?"

* * *

"There's blood on your forehead." Mikey pointed out, jabbing my forehead.

"Thanks for pointing that out Mikey. I might have never guessed." I flinched. "No thanks to you."

Mike crossed his arms and put a fake, hurt frown on his face.

We were standing in front of O'Neal tech. Chief Biggles had just put Jammerhead into the Peacekeeper car who was muttering _'system down' _over and over again.

"Is he gonna be okay Chief?" Cody asked.

Me and Raph glanced at each other other and shrugged at the same time. "Who cares?"

Chief Biggles walked over to us. "Don't worry lads. He'll be rebooting himself in jail this time."

Darius walked up to us. "I can't thank you fre... Guys enough froms stopping that insane hooligan from robbing the lab."

"Are you kidding me? We almost got exterminated from the battle suit from _your _lab." I sneered. His thanks meant nothing.

"Ya. A lab filled with firearms!" Donnie added.

Cody gave Darius a look that was a mix between hurt and confusion. "What's up with that?"

Darius turned to Chief Biggles. "Would you mind explaining the Peace of Mind Program?"

"Smashing that. Mister Dunn has done a fantastic job keeping weapons off the street. Any weapons confiscated by the Peacekeepers are turned over to O'Neal tech. They are recycled into useful products which are then used to give to the needy."

"So the weapons we saw were awaiting recycling?" Donnie asked in a disbelieving tone.

Darius nodded. "Precisely. Now if you'll excuse me. I need to bid the guests farewell." He walked away, leaving us.

"That was complete bullshit." I muttered.

"Darius Dunn is a master of deception. But you all must have faith that he will trip up one day. And when that day comes. we will be ready for him." Master Splinter stayed coldly.

* * *

"So how did you do it again?"

Cody had me standing in front of a camera he'd set up.

I sighed and kept my eyes on the camera. With a flick of my hand, the camea died. Cody couldn't help but stare at it in awe.

"That's so cool! I just gotta know how you do it!"

"You haven't figured it out the last twenty three times we've done this?" I sat down on the couch next to Donnie and leaned my head against the back. Can I stop now?"

"One more I swear and then we can be done!" Cody exclaimed as he ran out of the room toward the lab.

Donnie turned to me. "How are you feeling?"

I turned my head enough to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "How do you think I'm feeling?"

"You're exhausted."

"You know me too well Donatello." I couldn't help but use sarcasm. He was literally handing it to me.

"No, I mean you're exhausted being here and doing this. The future. The past year has taken a huge total on you and you're just exhausted from it."

I took in a deep breath. "Ya." I lifted my head. "Why do you think I'm exhausted Donnie?"

Donnie gave my face a look over before answering a few moments later. "The Shredder. Bishop. Stockman. And us."

I tilted my head. "Why would you think that?"

"Ever since you were born, your life has been one big experiment. And not only an experiment. It's been torture. You still have the scars to prove that. Your biggest fear is to watch everyone you love go through the same pain you felt. Every time one of us gets hurt... Hell, everytime we go out on patrol and meet the Foot or meet the Purple Dragons, you tense up. Your scared Jade. And after years and years of that exhaustion, it's worn you down. And in the past year, you have gone through more than you have the other eighteen years of your life. And us, your family, are always in constant danger. We just cannot escape from it. Our mutant forms will always be a target for other scientists and enemies that are lurking out there. And it exhausts you that you have to go through with all of that. You carry a heavy burden Jade. And I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we're sorry." He gestured to the living room doorway. Where my brothers, Master Splinter and even Cody were standing. They all gave me a sad, solemn frown. They didn't disagree with what Donnie had just said.

I felt a few tears well up in my eyes. "I am exhausted you guys. I'm sick of running. I'm sick of hiding. I'm sick of _dying _and then coming back. And I'm sick of being afraid that every time we step out that door, or every time we leave the sewer for a patrol in the city that something would happen. That something would take you all away from me and I wouldn't be able to stop it. Not even with my powers." A tear ran down my cheek. I took a deep breath and looked them all straight in the eye. "You're not my burdens. You're my family. If I had the chance to go back to the day I was kidnapped and be able to stop it from happening, I wouldn't. Yes im exhausted. But that's the price of being with the ones I love most. I wouldn't trade my years with you guys for anything in the entire galaxy."

My family nodded and gave me small smiles but didn't say anything. There wasn't anything to say. They knew I meant it. And the look in their eyes told me that they felt the same way.


	16. Food Poisoning

**This chapter is based on "The Freaks Come out at Night" **

**Chapter 16: Food Poisoning**

* * *

Real hot dogs. Real _food. _

We had finally found a place in downtown that sold actual good tasting food that didn't have some disgusting form of green slime added to it.

Jays Dogs. This fast food place was a life savor. It was actually the original hot dogs from my century. I used to bring a couple dozen hot dogs down to the lair for the guys. It obviously doesn't beat Ray's Pizza, but it was pretty close behind.

We all wanted to see Cody's reaction when he had a bite of his first hotdog. I was starting to warm up to the kid, even if he annoyed the shit out of me sometimes.

"I can't believe my taste buds!" Raph exclaimed as he scarfed down his third hotdog. "These taste like the original Jays!"

Donnie chuckled and gestured to the man standing behind the counter, cooking the steamy dogs. "That's because they cloned the original Jay."

The man looked exactly like the man who owned the restaurant in our time. He snarled at the odd looking purple bird that had landed on the counter in the restaurant. Pulling out a broom, he started swinging it wildly. "Get out of here you pesky animal! This is a dog joint not a bird cage!"

I snickered and turned back to the others. "Just as friendly as ever."

Cody let out a small burp. He stared at the hotdog he had just taken a bite out of and gave us a curious glance. "What exactly do they put in these things."

"Some things are better left a mystery." Master Splinter said, giving him a small smirk.

Cody gave him a worried look but continued eating anyway. They were just too good to not eat, no matter what was in them.

After chowing down at least two dozen hot dogs between the seven of us, we decided to it was time head back to the penthouse. Serling had called Cody saying that he's been out too long. Who died and made him his dad?

"I can't eat another bite..." Mikey was complaining. "Well maybe one... With everything. You guys go ahead, I'll grab a cab home." He turned around and headed back into the restraunt.

Cody chuckled. "Where does he put it all?"

"He's got lots of empty space _up here._" Raph indicated his brain by tapping his head.

* * *

I had an uneasy feeling after getting home. Something didn't sit right. Splinter noticed and asked me about it in the living room where he meditated.

"I don't know Sensei. After leaving Jays, I felt something. Like, something dark."

Splinter stroke his long fur beard thoughtfully. "I have noticed that you get these feelings before certain events. Premonitions perhaps?"

I shook my head. "They're not visions. It's just like a punch in the gut. Maybe it's just the hot dogs we ate?"

Before Splinter could answer, there was a loud burp that came from the entrance of the living room.

"You're right! You can still taste the hot dogs!" Cody was exclaiming.

Donnie let out a nasty one next. "Isn't it great?"

"It's the gift that keeps on giving!" Raph said after his turn of letting one out.

"That's so gross." I said, watching them in disgust as they kept taking turns.

"You've had to deal with this for years Jade! _Now _you think it's gross?" Raph ran over and put me into a headlock.

I laughed, grabbing onto his arm. "No, I think it's always been gross-"

An enormous rumbling burp that could only be from Michelangelo himself almost made the room shook. He didn't look so good. In fact, he looked sick.

Raph unwrapped his arm from my neck and started clapping along with Leo, Donnie and Cody. Giving him a ten out of ten for the burp he had conducted. But Mikey just shuffled down the steps and into them living room.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Knock it off with the zombie act Michelangelo."

Mikey moaned, clutching his stomach. He started walking toward me. His eyes had a glint in them that cried out _help._

"Mikey? Are you okay?"

In response, Mikey collapsed onto the floor next to me. I turned him onto his side so I could see his face.

"Maybe he ate too many hotdogs?" Donnie suggested. Nobody made a move to him to see if he was okay. They all let me examine him instead.

"Well there's no sign of injury. He was grabbing his stomach when he walked in so that's what my guess is." I poked his head. "But I think he's being a little over dramatic."

"There's a first." Leo scoffed, crossing his arms over his plastron. "Come one Mikey, get up."

Mikey immediately got to his feet and ran out of the room, heading for the kitchen. We found him eating everything that he could grab his hands on, shoving handfuls of veggies and raw meat into his mouth.

"Maybe he didn't eat enough?" Leo suggested, giving Mikey a freaked out look.

"He's eating vegetables. There's obviously something wrong." Raph countered.

Donnie put his hand on Mikey's forehead. "Are you feeling okay Mik-"

He didn't get to finish as Mikey swung his arm across Donnies plastron with so much power that Donnie flew across the room, hitting the wall.

"Mikey!"

Leo, Raph and Master Splinter started trying to restrain him as I ran over to help Donnie to his feet. Cody ran out of the room to fetch a tranquilizer from the lab.

Donnie rubbed his head, giving me a quick grateful smile."Thanks."

I nodded and turned my attention back to the chaos in the kitchen. Mikey had thrown everyone to the ground and had started knocking items off the counters. Serling watched in horror as another vase shattered on the tile.

"Why do even bother anymore?" He started gathering up the vase just as Cody sprinted in with the tranquilizer. He plunged it into Mikey's arm, letting the orange liquid enter his bloodstream. Mikey collapsed onto the floor almost instantly.

"What the hell..." Raph muttered, getting to his feet.

"Come on. Let's get him to the lab." Cody said, pulling the tranquilizer from Mikey's arm.

* * *

Strapping Mikey to the table made me extremely uncomfortable. It brought back visions of myself as a little girl in Stockmans lab. Leo stayed behind me kept a constant grip on my shoulder, periodically giving it reassuring squeezes.

"Donnie and I ran a full diagnostic on him. But these readings don't make any sense." Cody scrunched his brow at the holographic screen.

There was a blood sample that appeared on screen. Purple particle were covering the blood cells like a blanket.

"The DNA seemed to have created some kind of mutagenic property." Donnie said thoughtfully as he studied the blood samples.

Raph's annoyed tone followed. "In English Einstein."

I glanced at him. "It's reacting to light."

Cody walked up to the screen of the blood sample. "More like his DNA is reacting to light. Breaking down his molecular structure and reconfiguring it." He raised an eyebrow and gave Donnie and I a confused look.

Leo let go of my shoulder and leaned over Mikey. "Well... He certainly looks normal enough."

Mikey suddenly puked purple slop all I've Leo's plastron. I jumped back into Raph.

"Gross!" Leo cried in surprise.

"What could he have eaten that was purple?" I asked.

Nobody had the time to reply. The purple slop literally _soaked _into Leo's plastron. Like a sponge. Pretty soon, it had all disappeared.

"That was weird..."

Cody looked back at the screen, that had started beeping loudly. "His blood just had a major spike. I've never seen anything like this before."

Mikey's body was suddenly covered in a cocoon of purple goop.

Me and Raph took a step back. "Uh I'm no brainiac, but i'm guessing it has something to do with that." Raph grabbed my shoulder and started pulling me behind him.

The cocoon hardened up and started to crack. What broke out of it wasn't Mikey. Not really. He had turned the same shade of purple as the goop. His eyes were blood red, his teeth were point and hard spikes were raised out of his skin.

"Everybody stay back!" Donnie said cautiously. He was still too close although. Mikey swung his arm into Donnie, sending him across the room. Donnie sat up and rubbed his head. "Ya... This is a good distance."

"What's happening to him?" Leo asked.

Mikey jumped off the table and stood next to the entrance of the lab.

"Some kind of mutation. Definitely alien. But nothing like I've ever seen." Cody took a few steps forward, staring at Mikey with worried eyes.

Serling leisurely walked in with his usually monotone, annoyed voice. "Well it took three hours but the kitchen has finally been- WOAH!"

Mikey threw Serling into the rows of desks. Papers went flying and the tables overturned. Cody sprinted to Turtle X, climbing in the seat and activating him. My brothers took out their weapons and stood in front of the doorway in front of Mikey.

"Guys wait! Stop!" I called out. Master Splinter stepped in front of them.

"My sons, restrain him but do not harm him! He is still your brother!"

Mikey simply had to push them out of the way to get past them. He ran on all fours to the living room window, jumping through it. We followed to the sheer drop after the window, peeking over the ledge. Mikey was crawling down the side of the building.

"So now he's Spider Man?" Raph asked. I glanced at him and shrugged.

"He always said he wanted to be Spider Man."

Donnie started pulling us away from the window. "Well I don't think this is what he had in mind. Come on, we're going to have to track him with the Hover Shell!"

"I've locked onto his DNA signature." I said after we left the garage. Cody took the wheel as I took the passenger seat. Helping Cody with follow Mikey who had made signifanct progress in getting almost twelve miles away from the penthouse when we ran to the Hover Shell.

Donnie was in the seat behind me. He pulled up a holo screen of Mikey's blood again. "Look, if I'm understanding what I'm seeing. That slime and goop he's been puking out is full of those aggressive alien cells!"

"Slime as in the slime he up chucked all over... Leo?" Raph sounded confused. I glanced over my shoulder where Leo was digging in a compartment, growling.

"Oh shit." I muttered.

"What? What is it?" Cody asked frantically. His eyes were still on Mikey so he couls look back.

"That slime spreads from host to host from contact. Leo's been in contact and he's behaving just like Mikey was." I watched as Leo grabbed Donnie's bo staff out of his hands and started biting it.

_Damnit Leo..._

"Talk about your high fiber diet." Raph grumbled, watching Leo with a brow raised.

Donnie pulled the staff back. Leo immediately got to his feet and started pushing Donnie into the control desk behind my chair.

"Knock it off you two!" I yelled, pressing a few of the buttons in front of me.

"Try telling him that!" Donnie yelled back.

All of a sudden, the Shell Mobile popped out of its place inside the Hover Shell. The car fell hundreds of feet to ground below. Hitting roads and other buildings along the way.

"Way to go Leo! You took the hover out of the Hover Shell!" Donnie cried as we finally landed with a heavy crash on a rooftop in downtown.

Me, Cody and Master Splinter had been strapped in our seats. But as I turned around, I saw that Donnie and Raph were covered in blood from the impact.

"Guys?" I unstrapped my seatbelt quickly, kneeling down next to them.

They both groaned.

"We're okay." Raph muttered glancing at Donnie for approval. He just nodded in response.

I breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank god. _

I heard Leo growl and open the door of the Shell Mobile.

"After him!" Donnie yelled, clumsily getting to his feet. We all followed. Mikey happened to be on the building across from us running in the opposite direction.

"You two go after Leo. Me, Jade and Cody will jet after Mikey!" Raph decided, momentarily taking over Leo's spot in leaderly duties.

But none of us complained. Donnie and Master Splinter immediately jumped off the roof in pursuit of Leo while Raph, Cody in Turtle X and I began running the rooftops after Mikey. The mutation gave him great speed. It took a lot of effort to remotely keep up with him.

"Where is he going?" I yelled, running after them.

Our question was answered as Mikey jumped off the rooftop in front of Jays. He tore the door of the restaurant and stomped inside.

Raph chuckled. "Even after being taken over by alien DNA, there's some things about Mikey that won't ever change."

I shook my head as the three of us entered the dark building. Cody commanded Turtle X to turn on a flashlight. The inside was absolutely destroyed. Tables were overturned. Glass shattered the floor and chunks of rubble littered the floors. A big chunk of the back counter was missing.

"Where is everybody?" Cody asked in a low voice as we made our way around the disaster zone.

"It's closed?"

"Well it should have just closed about ten minutes ago. There should be workers cleaning up." Cody explained.

"Given Mikey's new found appetite, we might be better off not knowing." Raph said.

"Please don't say that." I whispered, glaring at Raph. I didn't want to get images in my head of my goofy, orange banded brother eating people.

Raph scrunched his forehead up. "I already said-"

There was quick bang that sounded like someone had dropped a boulder on the ground. Behind the counter was a trap door. Cody shone the flashlight toward it. "That came from below."

Raph turned the handle on the trap door. A set of metal stairs led down to pitch black cellar. I wasn't really digging the idea of going down there. Road took the lead as Cody's flashlight lit the way. At the bottom of the steps, purple slime covered the floors and the walls. Cody was safe within Turtle X but Raph and I had to step around the goop. I may have had combat boots on but I still didn't want them getting covered.

"Whatever that stuff is, it's already infected Leo and Mikey." Cody informed. Both Raph and I already knew that, but we didn't complain. We were both too focused on finding Mikey. "If we're not careful, it could end up infecting a lot of other people."

Mikey suddenly dropped from the ceiling. His appearance startled me and I fell to the ground. Backing up, Mikey growled. His red eyes followed me. Raph grabbed me by the arms and pulled me to my feet. His instant big brother protectiveness went into action as he pulled me behind him.

Mikey was followed by half a dozen other purple aliens. All infected.

Raph gave Cody a short, worried glance. "I think it's already infected a lot of other people."

"Raph! Jade! Look out!" Cody yelled as he threw the big metal rack behind us at the aliens.

"Let's get out of here!" Raph and I headed for the stairs with Cody behind us. Raph shut the trapdoor in the aliens faces just as they reached the top of the stairs. Cody picked up one of the big appliances in the kitchen and dropped it on top of the trapdoor. It didn't do much good although. The aliens started to push the trapdoor open with their sheer strength.

"Now what do we do?" I cried, staring as Mikey's hand raised out of a crack in the door.

"Working on it now!" Cody replied, pulling out a holo screen in front of him.

"What?" Raph asked.

"Remember what Don said about the alien DNA feeding on light? Well I've been running computer simulations to see if the right spectral wave length would slow the mutation effect. Sort of a light poison."

"You had time to run tests?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the shaking trapdoor as I gripped onto Raphs arm from behind him. I glanced up to see the silhouettes of Donnie and Master Splinter casually walk into the restaurant. Raph noticed as well.

"Yo Donnie! I need a geek translator and fast!" Donnie didn't move. He didn't answer. But his eyes instantly turned a eerie red.

"Leo must have slimed them." I muttered.

Master Splinter walked over to one of the tables that hand been overturned with raw hot dogs sitting on it. He grabbed then by the handfuls and shoved them into his mouth.

"Gross." Raph and I said in a unison, disgusted tone.

"So where is Leo?" Cody's frantic voice asked.

A growling came from the broken doorway. Cody shined his flashlight in the direction to find that Leo was in the same state as Mikey was. Purple with spikes and long teeth.

"You just had to ask didn't you." Raph scowled, taking a step back.

The trapdoor burst open, releasing the rest of the mutated aliens. I didn't want to fight them. I didn't want to hurt my brothers and my father. But at the same time, they currently weren't the same family I've known my whole life. All these ones cared about were eating and spreading their infection.

I partially slid out a wakizashi.

"Alright, Jade. You and I will take the uglies on the right, Cody; you take the uglies on the left."

The aliens didn't attack though. They turned around a kneeled down. Raph looked over his shoulder at me, raising an eyebrow. "Was it something I said?"

I didn't answer. The figure that appeared at the doorway made my heart stop for a moment.

Sh'Okanabo.

I felt a pang of fear at first. He was a deadly enemy. But then I felt fire raging through my skin. Sh'Okanabo _murdered _me. He hung me by my neck and forced my family to watch. He threatened my brothers lives at the theater by plastering them to the wall, gagging them. I stepped around Raph with my lip curled.

"I should have known you're disgusting face was behind this."

Sh'Okanabo looked at me liked I was a ghost. "How… I killed you! You should be dead!"

I smirked. "Oh I was."

"It's not possible…"

I could feel Raph tense up. "It is possible. And if you _ever _lay one of those slimy tentacles on my sister again, I will rip your goddamn heart out." He sneered.

The aliens stood up and growled at us. Sh'Okanabo laughed, still staring at me. "I don't know how you lived you insignificant creature, but we stand on the brink of a new age for your planet. I will discover the source of your reincarnation." He snapped his attention to Raph. "Gaze at your future! For soon, you will join the ranks of my army! This is the way of my kind as it has always been, and it shall always be. My army will merge their DNA with the the world, turning them into my Kanabos in a global Day of Awakening."

Raph started pushing toward the back wall of the kitchen. "Cody! Move!"

Cody commanded Turtle X to burst through the cement wall. There was a garage on the other side with a large hover truck. Turtle X made a hole into the back of the semi, starting the truck. The truck started to hover up into the air. Raph leaped and managed to get a firm grip on the ledge of the hole in the truck. By the time I had reached it, the truck was too high for me to jump and it was even too high for Raph to reach down.

"Cody! We can't go without her!" He yelled, turning his head to the front of the truck. His eyes snapped open. "Oh shit!"

"What?" I yelled from the garage floor. I periodically glanced over my shoulder at the hole in the restaurant wall. Sh'Okanabo and his army of aliens were slowly filing out of the kitchen on the other side.

"They don't make armor like they used to, Cody's been infected!" Raph gave back just as he was thrown across the truck.

"Raph!" I screamed, turning back around. Sh'Okanabo was laughing.

"As your green friend calls you... _Jade. _I wish to know _how _you survived that day." He hissed.

I took a few steps back with my fingers tracing the handled of my shruikens. "You failed _Sh'Okanabo. _I'm back."

His tongue created a hissing sound. He pointed one long tentacle at me. "Bring her to me. But do not combine with her."

"That sounds really fucking weird." I muttered. Leo and Mikey were the closest to me. "Guys... I don't want to hurt you."

They birth reached out, long claws had grown on their finger tips.

"Alright boys..." I left my knives sheathed and let my fists knock them both to the ground. Blood poured from the noses.

The rest of the aliens hissed and lunged. I maneuvered around them best I could. I wasn't going to hurt them with the hope that Raph could somehow figure out how to reverse the mutation. Slim chance, but killing the innocent mutated aliens and my brothers would be a last resort.

But even if it was a last resort, would I really be able to kill my brothers for the fate of this world? I don't know if I could, but I knew Leo would murder me if I didn't. So to speak.

He wouldn't want to be the cause of a world catastrophe. That would be one of his greatest fears.

But even so, the garage wasn't _that _big. Trying to move around a dozen aliens and Sh'Okanabo was extremely difficult even for a highly skilled ninjutsu artist.

I was soon grabbed. Four of the aliens gripped my arms, their long- dagger like nails dug into my skin. I could feel the puncture wounds, blood running my arms.

Sh'Okanabo laughed. "You see Jade, I always win. The Day of Awakening is upon us." He let one of his tentacles trace my jaw.

A crash through the wall of the garage stopped him from doing anything else. Raph drove the hover truck with Cody crashing through the other side of the garage in Turtle X.

"I got your Day of Awakening right here ya ugly bastard!" Raph yelled through the broken windshield, landing the truck in the garage floor.

Sunlight seemed through the hole in the wall. The moment it hit the aliens skin, they screamed and let go. I watched their flesh steamed. Their skin color slowly turned back to normal. The spikes disappeared. Their teeth and claws returned to normal and their red eyes dimmed.

I heard Leo groan. "Raph? What... What happened?"

I didn't hear Raph's reply. Sh'Okanabo gasped behind me.

"Looks like you failed again." I sneered.

I was met by the extreme tightening grip around my neck by his tentacle. "I don't like attitude."

_How did I let him do this to me again?_

I chuckled while I tried to pry the tentacle off my neck. "Neither do my brothers."

"Let her go Sh'Okanabo." The tentacle forced me to face my brothers and Splinter. The originally mutated civilians had already fled.

I let out a small smile through gritted teeth. "Doesn't this look familiar." I gasped out.

"Not funny Jade." Leo scowled.

The tentacle tightened slightly. I shifted my neck. "Well I can try."

I felt my feet get lifted off the ground. Sh'Okanabo was raising his tentacle into the air. My body weight starting pulling down the higher we got, causing the pressure around my neck to tighten even more. I couldn't breathe.

"Let her go!" Leo's voice raised.

"My plans... My army. All destroyed my mere sunlight."

I dropped one hand, giving a hand signal to Leo. He nodded.

_Keep him busy. _

I began grabbing clumsily for a shuriken. I patted my hand around my waist, searching for where they were.

"You would have never gotten away with it." Leo snarled, turning his attention back to Sh'Okanabo.

"Maybe not. But the brat is coming with me."

I gripped the handle of the knife, pulling it of the sheath and plunging it into the tentacle. I was released and fell a 10 foot drop to the cement floor. My lungs burned for oxygen. I coughed violently.

_I really hated that. _

Peacekeeper sirens sounded outside the building. Sh'Okanabo glanced back at me. "I will find you girl. The Day of Awakening will come." He spat before disappearing through the hole leading into the kitchen of Jays.

My brothers ran to my side, where I was still heaving.

I grinned sheepishly. "Man, aren't you guys sick of saving this damsel in distress?" I asked in between coughs.

Leo picked me up, giving me a small roll of the eyes with a smile tugging at his lips.

We filed out of the garage to avoid the Peacekeepers. Splinter burped loudly. "Why do I taste raw hot dogs?"

I glanced at Raph and Cody from Leo's arm and laughed, with a few coughs in between.

"Wouldn't you like to know Splinter?"


	17. The Reality of Nightmares

**So sorry for the delays. I've been working extra this week and haven't really had time to do any editing or writing. But I have three day weekend so I hope to at least get one or two chapters of this story done!**

**This chapter is going to have some language, some torture, and it will be a little emotional at the end so heads up. **

**This chapter is based on "Bad Blood"**

**Chapter 17: Reality Nightmares**

* * *

_No, no, no. _

_I fell to my knees. My brothers lay in front of me. Broken and bleeding. _

_Lifeless. _

_"No!" I screamed, grabbing the closest brothers hand. Michelangelos cold, dead hand._

_Suddenly Mikey's eyes snapped open. Blood gurgled out of his mouth. "How could you let me die Jade?" _

_I let go of his hand and jumped back, startled. _

_His head lifted off the ground. "Why did you let them kill me?" _

_"Mikey! I... I swear I tried to-" _

_Leo's head raised. "You let us die Jade. I thought you cared." _

_"I do Leo! I tried but I-" _

_"Excuses!" Raph's head sprouted up. _

_"No! I-" _

_Donnie's face terrified me the most. Behind the blood and sweat, there were tears. "I thought you loved us Jade! Was that all a lie?" _

_"Donnie I tried! I'm sorry!" I got to my feet, my brothers following me. _

_They stared at me with hurt and angry expressions. They all said the same thing in unision. "This is all your fault." _

My eyes snapped open. I felt my chest raise up and down quickly as I heaved like I had just ran a marathon. I found myself laying in my bed.

I moaned at rubbed my eyes.

"Another nightmare." I grumbled to myself as I glanced the holographic clock on the nightstand.

_2:54._

I've been having the same nightmare for a couple months now. Always the same one. My brothers are tortured in front of me. I watch them scream in pain. I watch them die and then have them come back and tell me their death was my fault.

Why can't they just stop? I started sobbing quietly into my pillow.

* * *

"Man I am pumped! Can't wait bash me some battle bots!" Raph and I kept giving each other high fives and fist bumps.

"Let's do this Raphie!" We both gave each other a excited chest bump.

Leo rolled his eyes, laughing. "I just hope Mikey unloads something unexpected. The battle bots can sometimes get so predictable."

Mikey had decided to show Raph, Leo and I a new simulation in the dojo a few days after the Sh'Okanabo incident.

He bursted into the dojo with nunchucks spinning in hand. "Trust me you guys, you have never seen anything like this before!" He pulled out the remote and clicked it. The room turned into a meadow. There was a rainbow behind us and flowers surrounding us on the ground. "It's the ninjas vs. the judo duckies!"

Tiny ducks in karate uniforms came out of nowhere and began charging toward us. They were barely a foot tall and quacked, sounding exactly like Donald Duck.

Raph crossed his arms and glared as the little ducks that had started kicking his shins. They had no effect on him whatsoever. I couldn't help but start laughing hysterically when he picked up one of the ducks and threw it over his shoulders, the quacking slowly getting softer as it got farther away.

"If I wanted to go to ninja preschool again, I'd be on the roof with Cody dipshit." He grabbed the remote from Mikey and turned the simulation off, returning to the normal white room.

Mikey shrieked as Roah pounced on him, wrestling him to the ground. I kept laughing as the door of the dojo opened. Donnie stopped and stared at the two brothers rolling across the floor for moment before shaking his head and glancing at me.

"Splinter wants you on the roof."

My laughter died. "Aw come on." I groaned. I looked over my shoulder at Leo. "Why not you?"

He shrugged, looking fairly amused. "I don't know Jade."

I rolled my eyes and left the dojo to them. I don't understand why it always had to me when training Cody. If anyone was going to be the better teachers, it was either going to be Leo or Donnie. They both had more patience and determination than me. I know Leo and I were in charge of training Cody but Donnie had started filling in for me when I had started skipping out to train myself in the dojo. It kept my mind off everything that was happening. Nobody ever objected to me skipping out on Cody's lessons. I guess they all seemed to think I could use the time to myself. Raph would join every now and then and we would use the old New York simulation, but it just made me more homesick.

That's probably why Splinter wanted me now. I could probably use some meditation too.

Splinter was kneeled on a mat in the garden next to Cody. I chuckled as Cody squirmed in lotus position. He was just like Raph and Mikey. Mediatation was the last thing they ever wanted to do. Donnie could only stand it for a couple hours before he decided to go work on a new project.

I sat in lotus position next to Splinter. He glanced over at me and smiled softly.

"Cody, your training is finished for today. You may go if you wish."

Cody nodded in relief. "Thank you Splinter." He immediately stood up and headed for the door, leaving Splinter and I alone.

"Jade, would you like some tea?" Splinter asked me.

I smiled. "Yes Sensei."

We both closed out eyes and let our breathing slow.

* * *

_The cherry tree field have never failed to disappoint me. The vibrant pinks and even the small hints of white never lost their beauty. It was calming- watching the small breeze make the petals dance. _

_"My dear." Splinters soothing voice broke my gaze away from the trees. He had pourn me a small cup of tea. I smiled gratefully and picked it up, blowing gently across the rim of the cup. As I sipped, Master Splinter watched me carefully. _

_"I'm worried about you my daughter. You are deeply troubled by the future. Am I correct?"_

_I frowned as I set the cup back onto the table gently. "Yes Sensei. I hate it." I traced the rim of my teacup with my finger. I could Splinters eyes on me, watching me. _

_"Hate is a strong word."_

_I sighed and tilted my chin to look at my father in the eyes. "I can't stand it. At first, it was just a new world to explore and I was almost excited about it. But..." I glanced at the cherry trees for a moment before continuing. "We've been here for almost a six months. This... Unexpected trip has taken it's total on me." _

_Splinter nodded. He understood what I meant. "Your brothers and I are worried for you. I would just like to remind you that we are always here." He placed his paw over his heart. "You must let us help you heal from past events and to overcome future events. You cannot do this alone. This, I do know." _

_"I'm just scared. I don't want to lose any of you." _

_Splinter took a long moment. His eyes said a whole story. "And we don't want to lose you." _

_He ended the conversation by closing his eyes, putting himself into a deeper meditation than we already were. _

_I let his words sink into my mind slowly and let the heavy guilt weigh on my shoulders. I've been so selfish. And I know I've gotten distant from my brothers ever since Sh'Okanabo murdered me almost four months ago. And I know I've especially been rather distant since the run in with Bishop. _

_I can't fight these demons on my own. I need my brothers. And I should talk to them about it._

* * *

I opened my eyes. The sky had grown much darker since I came up to the roof. I rolled my neck around on my shoulders quickly since it was a little stiff.

I felt uneasy. My gut jabbed at me harshly. I turned to Splinter, who had already opened his eyes.

"Something's wrong Sensei."

He nodded. "I agree with you."

I got to my feet and headed for the door with Splinter following. I was guessing Cody was in the lab workin on Turtle X.

I was right. He was welding with the metal plates on Turtle X's chest.

"Hey Cody! Have you seen the guys?"

Cody pulled the goggles off his face and shook his head. "No they said they went off to run an errand."

That hit me a little harder than it should have. "They went off to run an errand without me?"

He shrugged, putting the welder on the table. "Well you were with Splinter so they decided to go without you."

I felt a small pour cross my face. They _never _left to go anywhere without me. I felt a small pout cross my face.

"Their absence is unsettling Cody." Master Splinter stepping in front of me.

Cody lifted his wrist and glanced at his watch. "They've been gone for a few hours."

I lifted the metal wrist plate that was attached to my arm. Turning it on and searching for my brothers trackers from their own wrist plates. There was only one blinking dot on the small screen and it was orange. "Mikey's tracker is the only one that's intact. Their in..." I breathed out slightly, feeling my gut drop. "Their in downtown."

"Go find Serling and get to the Shell Mobile." Cody's voice sounded like Leo. Commanding a direct order. "I'll meet you two there in a moment. We're gonna go find them."

I stepped in front of him. "Hold up Cody. If something's happened to them, we're not going to put you in danger as well."

Master Splinter tapped his walking stick on the ground gently. "Jade and I will go alone." He nodded his head to me.

Cody frowned, almost letting a small pout tug at his lips. "Sensei. The guys are always there for me. I want to be there for them. Please." He started pleading. "Let me show you what I can do."

Splinter looked over at me. I nodded my head to the side.

"He's definitely a Jones. Just has more manners."

Splinter gestured for Cody to follow. He let out a small skip. I held my hand up for him to high five as he passed by, following Splinter.

* * *

"They went to Abrocs Abyss? A bar?" I asked, stepping out of the Shell Mobile.

I really hated this place. I _really _hated downtown.

"No." Cody pointed to the dark building attached. "In there."

Serling busted the main door down, creating a loud crash. The inside of the building as a disaster. Chunks of the ceiling and the wall was scattered across the floor. There was a hole in the wall that connected Abrocs Abyss.

_God damnit boys..._

"Michelangelo's communicator." Serling said from the other side of the room as we investigated. It was on the floor in peices.

"What's left of it anyway." I muttered.

Splinter breathed out. "An ambush."

"Let's see if my new scan tech can tell us more." Cody lifted his wrist, pressing a button on his wristplates. A small device hovered off his wrist and began scanning the ground around Mikey's communicator.

_"Levels of sewage and seawater found."_

The scanning device returned to its original spot on Cody's wristplate.

I scrunched my brow. "Sewage and seawater? How does that make any-"

I felt something slippery and slimy wrap around my ankle. I was pulled from under my feet and dragged quickly across the floor.

"Jade!"

"Miss Jade!"

I was pulled into the arms of a giant toad creature inside the bar. The toad locked his lips.

"I'm not your goddamm dinner pal!" I yelled, squirming from his grasp. I had managed to use a free leg to kick him in the chin. I fell to the ground, landing and hitting my head on large peice of rubble on the ground.

Cody kneeled down next to me as Splinter and Serling fought with the toad.

"Jade are you okay?"

I shook my head. "No. I jut got slimed by a fucking toad and now I've got a headache!"

There was aloud crash. I looked up to see half of the bar fighting. Tables were being overturned and blood was getting splattered across the ground. Splinter raced over to Cody and I.

"Get behind the bar."

My head was bleeding. I'm always bleeding aren't I?

Once behind the bar, Cody pulled out a holoform from his wristplate. A blueprint of the city.

"Show me underground clearings that are close to the sea and sewage systems."

The map closed in on a sewage system. Putting a big red on a dead end. A big room.

"Found them." I muttered. Splinter had jumped onto the bar.

"Any progress?" He asked.

Cody nodded. "We think we know where the guys are."

Master Splinter gave him a thumbs up just as the doors busted open at the front of the club. Peacekeepers.

"Hello, hello, hello. What's all this then?" I heard Cheif Biggles annoying voice ring out.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Can he stop fucking saying that?"

Cody couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. Master Splinter glanced down at us quickly.

"Jade. You and Cody go. This may just be you chance to find them." He jumped down from the bar and stood next to Serling.

I nudged Cody. Pointing to the door. "Use the shadows of the perimeter." He nodded.

"Who's responsible for this mess? I hope you're all happy. Because we're all taking a little holiday. Downtown." Cheif Biggles stated firmly. I heard the groans of the club members.

_We're already downtown. _I thought sarcastically.

Cody and I successfully made it out the door without being spotted. He was really getting the hang of this stealth. We both hopped into the Shell Mobile, following the tracker to the sewer my brothers were supposably in. Cody was almost a little too excited as he prying the manhole cover off the street when we arrived.

"It's ninja time." He whispered excitedly.

I pushed him into the sewer, rolling my eyes. "God, shut up."

These sewers were a hell of a lot cleaner than the ones back home. There wasn't much for trash, the water was clean and the smell was a bit fresher. I slid out a shruiken.

"Alright Cody. Lead the way."

We walked on the cement on the side of tunnel. Following the dot on Cody's tracker. The tracker led to a large cavern.

Four insanely large creatures were standing in the middle of the room. Aliens. All a different color. Red. Blue. Purple. Yellow.

My brothers... Were chained to the wall. Hanging by their wrists. Blood was everywhere.

"So what should we do with them now?"

"The boss said he didn't care as long as they never saw the light of day again."

"Well." Purple took a step forward. Placing his a giant knife on Donnie's leg. "Donatello's body is going to science."

He let his knife slide down Donnie's flesh.

And Donnie's screams. They were unbearable to listen to.

_No, no, no. My worst nightmare. _

The aliens started laughing hysterically, like it was a big game.

"Cody." I pushed him by the shoulder. "You get to play ninja. Use your stealth to get around to they guys and cut them free. _Get them out of here._"

He stared at me like I was crazy. "What are you going to do?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm going to be the distraction. I'll keep them busy." I pointed to his belt. "Once their off the wall, use a smoke bomb."

Cody took a long moment. So long that I almost had to push him again. But he eventually nodded and silently took a few steps into the cavern. He stayed against the walls in the shadows.

I looked back at the creatures. Donnies screams were getting louder. Taking a deep breath, I threw my shruiken at Purple, who was still cutting Donnie slowly. It yelped in pain, pulling the knife out of its shoulder.

"Touch him again and you're dead." I stated, loud enough for them to hear. The four aliens whipped around.

"So you must be the girl." Blue indifferently tilted his head. His forehead was scrunched up.

I ignored him, glancing at Donnie. I didn't need to say anything. He just gave me a painful nod of the head, gritting his teeth.

I took a breath and turned my attention back to the aliens. They were massive. Colossal sized hands and body's. Their weapons were more like giant boulders that had been shaped into knives.

"She's interfering with my science project." Purple wined, giving Blue a pout.

I watched as Cody slipped behind the creatures and start to cut the ropes around my brothers wrists, starting with Mikey. He put his finger to his lips, telling them to stay silent.

"Girly isn't answering." Red growled, taking a few steps toward me. "I don't like when I don't get answers."

"And I don't like when you throw parties without inviting me but we all don't get our wishes do we?" I spat.

Yellow started laughing hysterically like I had just told the worlds funniest joke. Blue smacked the backside of his head, shutting him up.

"Well we can arrange some space for you if that's what you really want. We can play with you after we finish with your freaky friends." Blue narrowed his eyes.

"Their not _freaks._" I snarled.

I was beyond sick and tired of everyone calling my family freaks. _Nothing _pissed me off more.

"Their my brothers. And if you _ever _lay a hand on them again, you'll wish you were never created."

Blue let out a brittle laugh. "Well then, making you _watch _as we gut them will make you wish you could have done something to help them. But instead, you'll be helpless. You'll have to hear their screams in your head. And you'll blame yourself for not being able to stop us." He took a few steps forward. "Poor little Jade. And yes, we know your name."

Yellow laughed. "Poor poor Jade."

They all started laughing together. It echoed in the giant chamber.

"Yes. Poor Jade. When you watch your brothers struggle and scream as they bleed out. When you watch their bodies go limp after the fire dies from their eyes, you'll blame yourself. Their death will be all your _fault._" Blue continued.

I stared at him in horror, taking a step back. "No. You're... You're wrong. It wouldn't be my fault."

"We should keep you alive! Then their ghosts can come back and haunt you!" Yellow exclaimed. "They'll blame you for letting them die!"

I put my hands on my head, gripping my hair. "Shut up!" I screamed. I glanced at where my brothers had been. They weren't there anymore.

"Jade! Let's go!"

I whipped around to see my brothers at the entrance of the cavern with Cody. He held up a smoke bomb.

"What?!" Blue yelled furiously.

Cody threw the smoke bomb towards me. I moved out of the way to let it pass by. It exploded and let off a cloud of smoke instantly. The aliens began coughing. I ran to the entrance as Cody pulled out another bomb, except this time; he threw it at the cavern ceiling. It exploded. Rubble began falling from the ceiling. The ground started to shake violently.

Cody had Raph's arm over his shoulder as Mikey and Leo assisted Donnie. We didn't have time for a happy reunion.

"Time to go."

* * *

Splinter and Serling were already at the penthouse when we returned. Along with Darius. Both Splinter and Serling gasped when we walked into the living room. All four of my brothers were bloody and exhausted. Serling didn't even complain as we helped them to the perfectly white couch. Their blood staining it immediately.

Darius offered to help Cody and I assist Raph by grabbing Raph's wrist. Raph winced slightly. I whipped my head and snarled at Darius.

"Don't fucking touch him."

He immediately let go and held his hands up, backing off. After my brothers were all safely on the comfort of the couch, I started inspecting their wounds. Splinter did what he could but Donnie and I were more specialized in wounds. Although this time, Donnie was injured as well. I was on my own for healing. Serling fetched supplies for me. Leos arm, Donnie's leg and Mikey's forehead all needed stitches. Raph consisted of more bruises and smaller, less serious cuts then the others. But still a concern none the less. I haven't even checked for any bruises or broken bones yet.

But thank god that they're alive.

"Imagine my surprise when I received a call from Serling saying that he and Splinter had been jailed. Something about a scuffle downtown." I overheard Darius telling Cody. I glanced over my shoulder. Cody had his eyes narrowed.

"The guys said that they saw you downtown this evening as well Uncle." He crossed his arms.

"Care to explain Mister Dunn?" Leo asked, grimacing.

Darius fucking Dunn was in on this _again? _

He let out a small chuckle.

"You think this funny?" Raph beat me to it. I was just about to ask the same thing.

Darius stopped laughing, but his smirk didn't leave his face. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a comic book, placing it into Cody's hands.

"I'm no good at keeping secrets. Actually, I was picking up an early birthday gift for your upcoming birthday Cody. More those artifacts you're so fond of. Downtown is the only place you can find them." He turned around and headed for the hallway, for the elevator. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have an early flight in the morning."

As soon as he disappeared around the corner, Cody turned around and glanced at me. "What can I do to help?"

I gestured to the rag I had placed on Donnie's bleeding leg. "Keep the pressure. I'll be right back."

Cody replaced me as I stood up and headed for the doorway. I heard Leo ask where I was going but I didn't answer. I didn't have time. Darius had just reached the elevator. He stood in front of the doors, waiting for them to open.

"Darius."

His head slowly turned to face me. "Yes?"

I placed my hand son my hips. "Strange how everytime my family gets into messes, you're always involved somehow."

He narrowed his eyes, turning his body to face me. "I'm not sure what you're getting at girl."

"Bullshit." My lip curled. I took a step forward. "If I ever find out you're involved with harming my family again... You better watch your ass."

The elevator doors opened. I didn't let Darius reply as I turned around and quickly headed for the living room. Splinter had began cleaning my brothers up with a wet rag. Cody hadn't moved.

"Okay. Help Splinter. I'll start stitching." Serling had provided me with disinfectant, a needle, a rag, thick thread and a small pair of scissors.

I glanced at Donnie after pouring a little disinfectant on the rag. "This is going to sting."

He nodded. He already knew that but I thought I should prepare him. Leo grabbed his brothers hand and gave him a reassuring smile. I could feel Donnie's body shutter as I gently placed the rag on his open cut for a couple moments. I lifted the rag and threaded the needle, getting ready to start stiching it together. Cody had been talking to the others but started getting queezy.

"Cody; if blood isn't your thing, you don't have to stay. I can have Splinter help now." I muttered, keeping my concentration on Donnie's leg.

I could feel Cody nod gratefully and walk out of the room. I nodded to Serling to follow him to make sure he was ok.

"So what happened exactly?" I asked after he left the room.

"Darius was talking on the phone in the hallway after you had gone to the roof with Splinter. We overheard something about a big _suprise _for Cody that he had to pick up. We got suspicious so we followed." Leo started to explain.

"Ya and we ended up by that club that we met Zigth in a couple months back." Raph added with a dark tone.

"Turns out that we have clones of us created from our own DNA. Those aliens got the drop on us and took us to that cavern."

I snipped the end of stitches on Donnie's leg after finishing. "And then they did _this _to you." I gestured to their wounds before assisting Donnie to the other end of the couch so I could start Leo's arm.

"It's not your fault Jade." Mikey muttered, holding a rag to his forehead.

"But I wasn't there when you guys needed me most." I whispered.

"You came though." Donnie gave back.

I didn't answer. My thoughts turned back to what the Blue cloned alien had said as I began stiching Leo's arms.

_Poor Jade. _

_When you watch your brothers struggle and scream as they bleed out. _

_When you watch their bodies go limp after the fire dies from their eyes, you'll blame yourself. _

_Their death will be all your fault_

_They will blame you. _

_Poor poor Jade. So helpless. _

"I know what you're thinking." Leo narrowed his eyes slightly at me. "You're thinking about they said to you at the cavern. You can't listen to them. They're wrong."

"No they're not. It would have been my fault." I muttered, finishing his stitches and gesturing for Mikey's forehead.

"Stop fucking blaming yourself Jade." The venom is Raph's voice startled me. In fact, it startled all of us. I stared at him, pausing from Mikey's stiching. "You always think it's your fault when something bad happens to us."

My startled look turned into an icy glare. "And vice versa. You guys think it's your fault when I get hurt."

"Because it is-"

"It's the same goddamm situation Raph!" My voice raised. "Dont pull that shit with me when you all do the same exact thing." I returned to stiching Mikey's forehead.

Raph didn't reply. I could feel everyone's solem gaze rested on me as I finished stiching. I traced the stitches with my finger and gave Mikey a tiny smile.

I glanced at Raph's body, giving it a once over. "Does it feel like anythings broken?" He shook his head.

"Then get cleaned up. You're all good to go."

None of my brothers or Splinter moved. I sighed.

"I've been having the same nightmare every night for the past two months." I paused as I sat criss-crossed at the end of the large L shaped couch. "You're all tortured. You're murdered and I'm forced to watch. But you come back to tell me it's my fault." I kept my straight face with its frown as a single tear escaped from my eye. "That's why I froze in the cavern. Those clones said exactly what my nightmares have been. And seeing that the first step of my nightmare happening..." I gestured to their wounds. "It scared me. It was coming true."

Raph got up and sat next to me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and letting me rest my head on his plastron. "Kiddo..." He sighed.

My brothers surrounded me despite their wincing from their wounds. Comforting me.

"I'm sorry... I- I didn't realize..." Donnie started, grabbing one of my hands. I squeezed it.

"I should have told you guys earlier. I just didn't want to worry you anymore than you already were." I croaked. I sat up from Raph's arms.

I let out a small breath before breaking out into a small, cheesy smile. "At least it was my turn to save your guys asses."

My brothers chuckled but didn't say anything. I felt Leo wrap his arm around my neck from behind the couch. Mine and Raphs forehead leaned against each other. A gesture from our younger years to show affection and comfort. Mikey and Donnie rested their foreheads together as well from on the ground in front of me, Donnie still hand my hand grasped with his.

We just sat there for I don't know how long. None is us complained. We needed this time to recope from the events of tonight.

_I needed this. _

I almost lost my brothers.

And they know it would kill me if I had lost them. Just as it would kill them if they had lost me. _Again._

I glanced up to see Splinter watching us from the doorway of the living room. I saw tears form in his eyes. We gave each other a small smile before he turned to leave us, giving us our moment together.


	18. Changing Sides

**So this story has gotten **_**pretty **_**dark. Am I right? But I would still like your feedback on how well it's doing! What do you like? What don't you like? What so you want to see more of? Less of? Etc, etc.**

**School has started as you know, so just like everybody else on this damn website; I won't be able to update as much. With the story's I'm working on, I'll be able to get new chapters up hopefully once a week or every other week. Totally depends on homework, work, etc. I'll make the chapters a wee bit longer for all of your enjoyment. **

**And I finally fixed the typos in the others chapters, WHEW. *wipes sweat off forehead.***

**Btw: Some people have really wanted me to hook Leo and Jade up because they see a relationship that's past brother/sister. Sorry, but I just can't see myself making them a couple. I personally think that's weird considering she's the turtles sister. **

_**Ok ok, **_**she's not their real sister but you get the picture. **

**But I think sometime in the future, I will throw a boy into the mix for Jade. Maybe, maybe not. I've got a lot planned ahead so I'll see how I can fit a relationship in. Depends on what you guys think? **

**I'll be jumping back and forth a little in season 6, so this chapter is based on "Head of State".**

**Enjoy! Thanks for all of your patience! **

**Chapter 18: Changing Sides**

* * *

_It's all your fault Jade. _

_You killed us. _

_You did... Nothing._

My eyes snapped open. Sighing, I ran my hands through my hair and looked over at the hologram alarm clock.

_10:48._

"Shit. I'm missing morning training." I sat up quickly and changed into my usual attire.

Since the boys were unable to do any combat training, Splinter had them work on their mediation. Leo usually led that lesson while Splinter did one on one combat training with me which made Raph pissed off. He hated mediating.

They've been healing for the past two weeks which was making us all a little antsy. As dangerous as it was for us, we could all use some fresh air soon. Donnie and I had decided yesterday to take out everyone's stitches- giving the all clear for us.

My brothers, Cody and Splinter were sitting on the couch watching TV when I quickly entered the living room. They all lit up when they saw me.

"Morning Jade!" Donnie said.

I gave a confused wave back. "Uh morning... Did I already miss training?"

Splinter gave me a warm smile. "I decided to give you all the day off."

"Why?"

"You were sleeping so soundly, we didn't want to wake you. Besides, it's Tuesday- Usually our day off anyway." Leo explained.

"Oh ya. Thanks." I scratched my head, smiling gratefully.

"This is probably the longest you've slept for awhile." Cody said thoughtfully, standing up from the couch. "Peaceful?"

I sighed slightly. "Almost."

Nobody pressed me on the subject. Leo and Raph made space for me as I sat on the couch between them.

Cody's wristplates lit up. A holoform of President Bishop appeared.

"Mister President? Uh, what can I do for you?" Cody asked in surprise.

"Oh great. Our first free day and we get a call from _him._" I growled, glaring at the holoform.

Bishop ignored me. His glowing holoform turned to face my brothers and I on the couch. _"I would like you to meet me at headquarters for a serious matter. The fate of the world is at stake."_

He left it at that, his holoform disappearing.

"Sure. We'd love to help, thanks for asking." I huffed, storming to the kitchen.

"I'll meet you guys at the Hover Shell." I heard Cody say.

"No way Cody. You're staying here." Leo's leaderly voice appeared.

"What? Come on guys!"

"There will be plenty of action for you in the future but not today. If Bishop is calling for us, it's going to be big."

_Poor poor Cody. Still not ready for the big leagues._

* * *

"So remind me again why we're here?" Raph asked, not really needing an answer.

"Bishop said something about the fate of the world." Leo replied.

We were walking down a long corridor toward a pair of big doors being accompanied by three guards. The capital of New York was pretty impressive. The walls were decorated with large pieces of art and they popped since the building was mostly white tile.

"Bishop said a lot of things back in our time." Mikey muttered with his shoulders slumped.

"We know Mikey. But in 2105, he's the president. We have to at least hear him out." Donnie said, putting a hand on Mikey's shoulder.

I kept silent as we walked through the doors when we finally reached the end of the hall. A room with a very long, white table was through them. Bishop was sitting at the far end of the table when we walked in. He stood up, looking a little surprised from behind his black sunglasses that we had came.

"Thank you for coming."

Leo crossed his arms. "You can save the formalities Bishop. What do you want?"

"An extremely sensitive matter has arisen and despite our checkered past, you were the only ones I could turn to." He started to explain.

"How sweet of you think of us." I growled, receiving a warning glance from Leo.

Bishop ignored my comment.

"So what exactly _is _the matter?" Donnie asked.

"Someone is trying to murder me." He simply stated in a monotone, putting his hands behind his back.

"Murder you? Who?" Donnie's voice sounded a little suprised.

Both Mikey and I turned to each other. "You mean who wouldn't?"

"You said this had something to do with 'the fate of the world.'" Leo's eyes narrowed.

Bishop nodded slightly. "If I go, the galactic alliance will crumble. The world will be at war with two dozen different alien races, destroying all of humanity."

_You want some fries with that ego? _

"What about your security force?"

Bishop walked over to us, keeping his hands behind his back. "This particular threat is somewhat out of their pay grade."

Before any of us could answer him, the floor began to shake. I would have began guessing an earthquake if the floor hadn't caved in on the far side of the room, releasing a giant black creature. An alien. It's head was long, peanut shaped and transparent. I could see everything inside of it. The creature was rather slender but when it stood at fifteen feet tall, it didn't look very thin anymore. It had long arms with sharp fingers that were very similar to the claws of a hawk. Its tail looked like a whip and it's teeth, black goop dripped off of them. I couldn't tell where it's eyes were, but it looked directly at us. It let out a loud screeching roar and charged.

"Move!" Bishop yelled, pushing us out of the room and down the long hall. We took random turns with the alien behind us, eventually barreling into a large room where a court hearing was being held.

"Everybody out!" Leo yelled.

Everybody gave us a strange look until the alien bursted through doors behind us. Mikey pulled me to the side, using himself as a shield against the giant peices of the door and the wall around it flew. People screamed in terror as they scrambled out of their seats, either cowering in fear on the ground or trying to cut behind the alien and head for the door.

Several guards with blasters started to shoot the alien. Bullet holes rapidly started to blasted flesh off the aliens skin. It screeched, backing up farther into the courtroom.

"I take it that _that's _the thing that's trying to you?" Leo asked Bishop, staring at the alien. The rim of his brows were scrunched up from behind his blue mask.

Bishop turned his head toward Leo slightly. "What gave it away?" Letting a hint of sarcasm roll off his tounge.

The alien let out one final screech before it used its tail to knock the guards away. They flew into the wall on the opposite side of the courtroom with loud thumps, falling onto the ground- unmoving.

"We need to get the rest of these people out of here!" Donnie yelled, glancing at Leo.

Raph took a step forward. "Way ahead of you. Mikey, elevator!"

Mikey didn't hesitate to take a few jumps forward and fall to his knees and elbows. Raph sprinted and used Mikey's shell like a steps took as Mikey forced himself up, giving Raph a huge boost over the aliens head. He landed on it's backs and plunged his sais through the shoulders. The alien screamed in pain and started trying to shake him off.

Leo and Donnie had started helping the cowering people between the seat leave the room quickly. Others, were still screaming and running out in terror.

"Please exit in a calm and overly manner!" Leo yelled over their terrified screams, shoving the last of them through the large hole in the wall where the wall used to be.

"Or a 'get the hell out of here' manner!" Raph yelled from the aliens back.

The alien wrapped its tail around Raph's ankle, prying him off of it's back. He was thrown with great force into us. The force and speed he was thrown at didn't give us a chance to stop him from hitting the wall or even for us to jump out of the way. The impact of his body sent the rest of us into the wall. The breath was knocked out my lungs as I hit the wall with my back, falling on the hard row of seats before finally landing on my stomach on the hard tile floor.

"Jade, are you okay?" I felt Donnie grasp my arm after he stumbled to his feet.

I nodded, coughing a few times. "Raph needs to start working on his landings."

Raph had landed on my other side. He grabbed my other arm and helped me to my feet. "You try landing when getting thrown like that."

"Whatever."

Bishop had gotten to his feet and avoided the whiplash of the aliens tail that tried to wrap itself around him.

"I've got an idea. I've always wanted to try this!" Mikey yelled as he ran past the alien towards a red curtain that hung on the wall. He pulled it down and started waving it. "Hey ugly!"

"Does he know what he's doing?" Donnie raised an eyebrow at us.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Does he ever?"

Mikey waved the curtain like a red cape for bullfighting. The alien took a nose dive toward him, flying face first into the wall behind Mikey who had barely jumped out of the way. It hardly had an impact although. The aliens tail wrapped itself around Mikey, throwing me in our direction again. I was spaired from getting hit. Bishop and I were left standing. I helped my brothers to their feet as Bishop picked up a blaster that was laying on the ground.

"Anytime you're all ready to help." He growled before starting to shoot.

It didn't last long. The blaster shut down by itself after a few shots. Bishop snapped his head and glared at me.

"I didn't do it!" I yelled at him.

He didn't get the chance to answer. The alien took a few steps toward Bishop, raising its giant clawed hand.

I don't know what drove me to push Bishop out of the way. Instinct? Either way, I did. The aliens hand slammed into the ground just as bishop and I landed on the ground. It growled- baring it's long, knife like pearly whites as it raised its claws. It's hand clearing aiming for me since I had pushed its prize out of the way.

"Lights out!" I heard Leo yell loudly.

A throwing star had been thrown at incredible chandelier on the high ceiling. It cut the chain that held the chandelier in place, dropping it onto the alien. For whatever reason- one I didn't understand and wasn't in the mood to try to understand; the alien was electrocuted. It let out a loud, painful screech as it slammed itself into the tile floor, digging itself a tunnel into the ground.

I looked up to see Bishop extending a hand to help me up to me feet. He gave me a small, grateful nod of the head- thanking me for saving his ass moments before. I hesitated but eventually accepted his help.

I walked toward the hole deep hole along with my brothers and Bishop.

"What was that thing?" Raph asked, his eyes peering into the hole.

"A genetically mutated engine of destruction. Forged from the DNA of alien species." Bishop answered, with a softer tone than he usually spoke with.

"How would you know that?" I asked, giving him a suspicious look.

He kept his eyes on the hole. "Because I made it."

"Sorry? You wanna run that by me again? I think I had monster spit in my ears." Raph took a step forward, balling his fists.

"I helped make that creature." He repeated.

Leo's arms crossed. "I thought you were out of the bad guy business."

"I am. This was decades ago. I had no idea they had survived." He answered.

The tone and the look on his face had me believing him- There was a mix of complete horror and disbelief. I know what lying looked like and this wasn't an actor.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Rewind and reply. This thing has _friends_?" Mikey's freaked tone came.

In reply. An excruciatingly loud screech sounded from inside the hole.

"I'll take that as a yes." Donnie took a few steps back.

"I have a hovercar outside. Let's move!" Bishop ordered.

Leo put a hand on my back and boosted me forward, having us follow without hesitation. I turned my head back for a moment to watch another alien climb out the hole. And this one was _huge. _It was at least thirty feet tall. How it managed to get out of the hole, I wouldn't know. But I didn't want to stay and ask.

We ran like hell down the corridor with the alien crashing into the walls behind us. The doors slid open on after a few twists and turns later. Peacekeepers were outside surrounding Bishops hovercar. Chief Biggle had his hand up in a momentary salute as we approached.

"Uh, President Bishop? What an honor. Is something wrong?"

Bishop ran past along with the rest of us, hopping into the hovercar. Mikey answered for him. "Try asking that guy!" He slammed the door behind him after getting into the car. It was an open spaced limo with the seats along the inside perimeter of the car; like Cody's limo at the penthouse.

I watched from the back window as the alien stopped and screeched at the Peacekeepers. Green acid spat from its mouth onto the other hovercars, instantly melting them. Cheif Biggles yelled to other officers as they all jumped out of the way.

"Why did it stop to mess with the Peacekeepers?" Donnie thought out loud, popping his head out the window curiously. Raph grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back into the car.

"Escape first. Geek out later."

Bishop put the car into drive and blasted off onto the freeway. The alien charged after us. His stomps on the pavement road made the car shake. Cars swirled out of the way while some flipped over trying to maneuver around the chaos that had erupted.

"This one is super athletic." Mikey was still watching out the back window.

Bishop took a sharp turn onto another free way. Since none of us were buckled in, we tumbled out of the seats- rolling onto the floor. I landed on the other side of the car, wedges between the foot of the seats and Leo's plastron. He stopped himself from crushing me by putting his hand on the seat over my back.

"Did we lose it?" I heard Mikey ask.

Leo rolled off of me and got to his feet. Before he could reach down to grab my arm to help me up, long black claws pierced through the roof; stabbing the floor of the car inches from my stomach.

"I don't think so Mikey!" I scrambled to my feet.

Leo slid out his katana, swinging it across the claws and slicing them like butter. I heard the alien screech in pain as it extracted it's broken claws out of the car. I could see its black shape jump off the road as Bishop sped down the road once again.

"Do you think we scared it off?" I asked to no one in particular.

"No." Bishop answered, he turned his head around to look back at me. "It's just smarter than it looks."

"So what's it doing?" Raph asked, turning to us.

Nobody was paying attention to the sharp turn on the freeway. "Look out!" I yelled out. Bishop snapped his head forward and tried breaking.

No use. We went straight through the metal curb. The car flipped an extended amount of times into a small park. My brothers and I were thrown around the back of the car since we didn't have seatbelts on.

I don't really remember when the car finally stopped moving. I had already hit my head hard enough to knock myself out.

* * *

I woke up to a few sharp sounds in my right ear. Snaps. I flinched at the last snap- the noise was loud in my ear. My eyes squinted open to Leo's face staring at mine.

"Wake up Jade!"

I felt a burning sensation on my head and a sticky feeling on my forehead. I lifted my arm up and gently slammed my palm against my temple.

"Ow." There was blood of course.

Leo lit up, sighing in relief. "Take it easy there Jay."

"What happened?" I started to sit up. I could feel Leo's hand on my back; assisting me.

"We got into a nasty car accident. Both you and Donnie were unconscious and that thing got Bishop." He replied in a matter of fact tone.

I started looking around. "Where's Donnie?"

Leo pointed behind him. Donnie was lying on his shell with Raph and Mikey over him. I scrambled over on my knees. Both brothers gave me a soft yet worried smile before looking back down at Donnie.

I put two fingers to his neck, searching for a pulse.

_Breathing. _

I let out a sigh of relief before opening an eyelid. His eye tried resisting, which was a good thing. His pupil dialation was normal which meant he wasn't in anything other than a state of unconsciousness.. I snapped my fingers by his ear- watching his head jerk slightly. He moaned and let his eyes flutter open.

"Ow."

I smirked. "That's what I said."

"What happened?"

I glance at Mikey and Raph. "Have them explain. I was knocked out too."

"You guys didn't miss much. Just Bishop getting snagged by the big monster from Alien." Mikey joked, helping Donnie get to his feet with Raph's help.

I looked back at Leo. "So is Bishop dead?"

He turned and pointed to a huge hole in the ground, a few yards away from totaled hovercar. "No. It took him."

I didn't know why. But I felt a pang of relief finding that Bishop wasn't dead.

_I'm an idiot. _

"Sooo, who's going into the dark, scary hole first?" I heard Mikey ask as he and, Raph and Donnie followed Leo and I to the hole.

"Me." I said, climbing over the edge; taking the lead.

* * *

"I can't believe it. A hundred years into the future and we're still crawling around in the sewers." Raph huffed.

The hole led down to an enormous tunnel. It wasn't exactly a sewer- it looked more like a giant air vent. Without any practice or experience, walking down this tunnel would extremely noisy.

"Ninety one years." Donnie gave back, looking rather annoyed that everyone kept forgetting that we weren't precisely a hundred years into the future.

We were following a trail of black goop and blood. The only trail left behind by the big alien. I had lead. The trial stopped abruptly in one spot. A big puddle of blood was all tht was left.

"Trail ends here." I pointed to the blood.

Raph looked over my shoulder. "Well the ugly didn't just fall off the end of the earth big brain."

I gave a 'pfft' and elbowed him in the plastron. "Thanks captain obvious."

Raph didn't have the chance to reply as the floor dropped suddenly, falling a floor down into another room.

"I'm really getting sick of always getting knocked onto my ass." I groaned. The impact of the fall knocked the breath out of me.

"Tell me about it. I think I broke my tail." Mikey said, rolling onto his plastron.

Raph extended a hand for me, I graciously took it. "You don't have a tail Mikey."

Mikey didn't answer. He just started studying the enormous room.

It was a lab. Some kind of genetics lab- so not anything Donnie or Cody would get excited over.

Giant containers were along the perimeter while giant machines hung from the ceiling. One machine in particular that was bigger than most of them, was in the middle of the room. And it was over a table. The table had straps attached it.

To restrain someone.

I didn't like this room. I could see myself on that table. I could see _my brothers _on that table. My blood turned to ice as the images flooded my brain.

The hand that gently rested on my shoulder startled me slightly. I was so zoned out. Leo was staring down at me, giving me a reassuring smile. He gave my shoudler one last squeeze before walking a few paced into the the room. He didn't get far before he fell back onto his shell- like he had run into a brick wall.

He got up with a puzzled look on his face. "Hey Donnie, Jade. Check this out."

I walked up behind Donnie. He extended his arm out and reached at the empty space in front of him. His hand stopped abruptly and his three fingers spread out like he had it slapped against a wall.

"It's a force field." He glanced over his shoulder at me. "Jade, do you think you shut it down? Maybe you could-"

"Incinerate yourself?" Bishops voice cut Donnie off. We hadn't noticed him by the wall to our right. His feet had a transparent, blue holodome that acted like shackles- keeping him in place. "It's an accelerated armor grid. Any energy from her powers will only be repeled back into its original source. It would ultimately kill you."

_Well, thanks for the tip I guess. Not really in the mood I die... Again. _

"And how do you know that?" Donnie asked with his eyes narrowed.

Raph slapped his hand on Donnie's shoulder. "Let me guess Donnie." He sneered at Bishop. "You had a free weekend after whipping up your own version of chompy things so you decided to bang out another super villain warehouse."

Bishop sighed. "Technology, yes. But I'm not the brains or should I say _brain _behind this place."

"Then who is? What's going on Bishop?" Leo held his regular lecturing stance next to me.

"Seeing that we have some time to kill, I may as well tell you the whole story. Fifty years ago, Earth was a different place and well, you know who I was..."

_Don't we know it. _I thought sourly.

"... A meriated number of alien life forms had found Earth to be a suitable place for their lifestyle and civilization. We were under the constant threat of invasion and my earth protection program was the only line of defense. This lab was the nerve center of my operation, where the secrets of extraterrestrial DNA could be uncovered. Our goal was to splice the alien DNA to create an army that could be used against the alien races in war. Despite my scientific mind, I needed help. Formally, I was able to convince one of the worlds greatest minds to work under my agents. Doctor Baxter Stockman."

I clicked my jaw. I hated Bishop. But Baxter Stockman? That was a whole different story. The sound of name rolling of Bishops tongue sent an icy fluid through my veins. I could feel my palms tighten and my knuckles turn white.

My brothers all sensed my anger after hearing Stockmans name. They moved closer, protectively. Like they always did.

Bishop noticed them but didn't acknowledge their movement next to me. "We used a _volunteer donor program _to get the aliens that had already inhabited earth for the experiments Stockman needed to perform. He was brilliant. Taking the operation in directions I would have never thought possible. He also took things too far."

"Kidnapping aliens and torturing them? That wasn't taking it too far?" Raph snarled.

_Sounds familiar. _I clenched my jaw, keeping the death glare on Bishop.

He looked down at the ground for a moment, looking a little devastated. "Like I said, it was a different time in my life. Not one that I'm very proud of."

I _believed _him after he said those words. I can't explain why. I just did.

"Our experiments required dangerous equipment and materials. One day, in his deal to break the secrets of alien life; Stockman accidentally triggered a biochemical chain reaction. It destroyed all of our work, and it was the last time I saw Stockman. During the chaos of the fire that had broken out, an alien saved me. I had imprisoned him, tortured him, and used him to create a race against war with his own kind and he still saved me. Try as I might, I could not erase the incident from mind. This alien, after everything I've done, dare show mercy? And how could do less? So my attitude changed, I sought out allies instead of enemies. The Earth Protection Program became the Pan Galactic Alliance. I learned my lesson. It's peace, not war that is the answer to earths continued safety."

The room started shaking. The walls on the far aside of the lab exploded- three of the enormous, black aliens bursted through the walls. And a familiar voice sounded.

"Well you're about to learn another lesson _Mister President. _If you're going to leave your errand boy for dead, you should at least make sure he really _is _dead."

A brain with one eyeball attached to what looked liked octopus tentacles was sitting on top of one of the aliens heads.

"Baxter Stockman?" Bishop scrunched his brows.

The eyeball flashed at Bishop in a glaring motion. "In the flesh, so to speak. It's time for a little payback." The brain whipped itself, staring at us. "So, if it isn't the turtles and the brat. And here I thought Agent Bishop and I were the only ones who survived the good old days. Though you didn't need to strip alien DNA onto your own body to pull it off."

I could feel the familiar rage fill my body. "Stockman." I growled to myself.

"I... thought you perished in the accident." Bishop said.

"Yes. That explains why no one came looking for survivors... _Ever._" Stockman snarled.

Bishop frowned. "So is that it? Simple revenge? Stockman, everything has changed. I'm not the man I once was."

The alien put its big, black hand around Bishops body. The blue domes that forced Bishops feet to the ground disappeared as the alien raised him from the ground and started bringing him over the the table in the middle of the room.

"Nor will you be the man you _are _for much longer."

My brothers and I slammed our fists in front us. The force field seemed to surround us.

"Stockman! What are you doing?" Leo yelled.

Bishop body was forced and strapped into the table. Stockman jumped off the aliens head and landed on the table behind te giant machine Bishop had been laid under.

"I spent decades down here. Retuning this facility, expanding our original experiments. Yet I was unable to create a viable body for myself. Then I realized, why make when I can take!" The machine sent down an arm with a saw attached to it. "In a moment, that underused organ you call a _brain _will be processed, transplanted and replaced by... Shall we say 'more gifted one'?"

Bishop struggled against his restraints. "Madness!"

Stockman glared at him. "No, this is logic. You're the president. You savored a proclibady for long life and you have to _love _the irony."

The force field was greatly frustrating me. I wasn't able to use my powers to stop the machine with it blocking me.

"You're not going to get away with this!" I yelled, slamming my fist on the invisible wall.

Stockman turned toward us. "Speaking of irony, it may have taken ninety one years but you five will finally meet your end as mouser food!"

He made a small whistling sound. I could feel the force field drop. The aliens instantly attacked us.

One of the three spat the green acid while the others used their long, razor sharp claws to slash the air as we dodged them.

Mikey pointed in the direction if the machine. The saw had started slowly making its way down toward Bishoos forehead.

"Bishop will be getting a sunroof if we don't get past these things! Any ideas?"

"Remember when these overgrown aliens attacked those Peacekeeper sirens outside of the capital instead of us?" Donnie started to say. "Baxter must be using an audio remote to control then! Maybe they use sonic vibrations to navigate."

Mikey rolled his eyes, groaning. "And _how _does that help us not get become dinner?"

"Find the right vibrations and it will scare them off?" I suggested.

Donnie nodded, bringing his wristplates up to his face and giving himself a display of options on a hologram. "Exactly."

I felt Leo grab my arm. "Sounds good." He looked over his shoulder. "Raph! You and Mikey cover Don while Jade and I go for Bishop!"

Raph waved us away, too busy with the aliens to answer.

We slipped behind the aliens and sprinted toward the machine. The saw was about a foot away from Bishops head. Stockman was watching too I felty to notice us running up. Unfortunately for us although, another force field blocked our path.

"Stockman! Listen to me!" Leo yelled, slamming his fists on the force field. "No one knows better than we do that Bishop is an asshole in the past. But this isn't the answer!"

Stockman looked at him like he was insane. "Why not?" He demanded. "He started all of this! He left me for dead. He _owes _me."

"He owed a lot of people Baxter. He's been paying it back by changing the world. Bishops work has actually united people and aliens of all races. Even my brothers can walk on the street with me in broad daylight." I insisted, pleading. I can't believe I was doing this. "Because in this world, no one is considered a monster because of how they look. Only by how they act. Are you a monster? Or a man? Do you want to use your mind? Or create?"

Baxter looked as though he was about to reply with a snappy comment until chunks of the ceiling started to fall to the floor. One larger chunk hit the machine, ultimately breaking the force field and giving Leo the chance to slide out his katanas and slice the saw off the machine and his restraints. I helped Bishop to his feet and off the table as a fire began raging.

"We need to get out of here!" Donnie's panicked yell.

Bishop stopped. "Stockman!"

The table that Bishop had been laying on was consumed in flames. I didn't see Stockmans slimy figure. I pulled on the sleeve of Bishops coat.

"We need to move!"

He shook his head, not leavin his eyes off where Stockman had been. "I left him behind once, I won't do it again." He pointed at a pair of doors on the far side of the room. "Go! I'll meet you over there."

Leo grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the doors where the rest of our brothers were frantically waiting.

"Where's Bishop?" Mikey asked, his eyes darting.

"He went back for Stockman." I answered, turning back around.

"He really did change, didn't he?" Raph grumble came.

The raging fire had worsened. It was gettin close to reaching the gasoline canisters on the opposite side of the room.

_Where was Bishop?_

"We can't stay here!" Donnie yelled again over the sound of more chunks of rubble falling from the ceiling.

I starts taking a step back, about to head for the doors until I spotted Bishop. He had the small, slippery body of Stockman in his arms. "Let's move!"

We battled through the doors and sprinted into a hallway that looked similar to the giant metal tunnel we had came through before falling into the lab earlier. I heard the explosion after running a significant length of the tunnel.

Stockmans one eyes stared at Bishop in disbelief. "You- you saved me... Why?"

Bishop smirked. But not in his usual sarcastic, evil kind of way. It was more gentle and happy. "It's what I've been saying all along my friend. Everything's changed."

* * *

"I just don't understand this place. Bishops a good guy and we saved one of our arch enemy's Baxter Stockman. The future give me a headache!" Raph fumed.

My brothers and I stood in the doorway of Bishops office where Baxter and him were discussing matters of Baxters body replacement and where he could work in the Pan Galactic Alliance's organization.

"Well if Bishop can change, maybe there's hope for all the other monsters out there." Leo gave back, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"It's going to be odd going back home and remembering that Bishop is still the villain in our time." I stated, keeping my eyes on the president as he and Stockman started to get up and head for the doorway where we stood.

"But at least we'll know he's got some good in him." Donnie said just before he was earshot.

I couldn't help but glare at Stockman. I don't think that if he could save the world from destruction and cure cancer, I would even begin to think he's an okay guy. The scars and memories ran too deep and I was still edgy around Bishop even.

"Jade, would you allow me to speak to you alone?" Bishop asked, keeping his arms behind his back.

Talk? "Uh, ya. Sure."

I felt my brothers shift uncomfortably behind me. "Jade..."

I waved Bishop away- Basically telling him I'll meet him in the room in a moment. He nodded and went back into the room as Stockman silently slipped by and headed down the hall. I turned to my brothers, who all had their eyes narrowed on Bishop.

"Give us a moment okay?"

Leo nodded slowly. "We'll be right out here. Yell if you need us."

I nodded and turned back into the room, guards shut the door behind me.

"You don't need to sit, this should only take a moment." He said, standing behind his desk.

I crossed my arms. "Okay. So what do you want?"

He took his sunglasses off. This is the first time I've ever seen his eyes.

"I just wanted to... Thank you." He said simply.

My head tilted slightly. "Thank me for what?"

He lowered his eyes to the table, as if he was a little embarrassed. "We've had a rather rough past. I've impacted your life so much and yet, you still choose to save me today."

I sighed, letting my shoulders slightly raise and fall. "My brothers and I... We're in 2105 from a time traveling accident. And before we came, I had always though that once you became the villain, you were always the villain. But after what you've shown me and what you've done for this world- it's changed my perspective on that theory."

Bishop raised a brow. "A time traveling accident... When you return, I won't be the same man I am now."

I nodded. "I know. But maybe there's hope on knocking some sense into you."

He smirked. "I think that if you tried explaining the events of this time, to me in the past; I wouldn't believe it." He opened a cabinet file in his desk. "But perhaps you could persuade me with this."

He pulled out a small picture and handed it to me. Not a holoform. A _real _picture- of him shaking hands with an alien of another race. The alien was holding a peace treaty in his hand.

I chuckled. "Ya. If I show you this and you don't believe me, you're stupider than I thought."

Bishop put his sunglasses back on. "It may take some persuading." He nodded his head toward the door, dismissing me.


	19. Firing Family

**Man, some people just don't listen.**

**I'm. Not. Having. Leo. And. Jade. Hook. Up.**

**I have also received my first hate comment about a day after posting chapter 18 from Ninja Kitten. I might just print it out and frame it! Thanks brah, you complete my life. Hashtag: no hate dude. Go the shell away.**

**This chapter is based on "The Fall of Darius Dunn."**

**Warning: This chapter has light sexual content and a bit more cussing than usual so... I guess if that makes you queasy you can scram.**

**Chapter 19: Firing Family**

* * *

"Cody, where are you going?" I asked, watching him walk towards the living room entranc, looking a little to excited.

"Uncle Darius went out of town and shut O'Neal tech down for the rest of the day. I wanna go work in the R&D lab without him looking over my shoulder." He replied with a grin. "You wanna come?"

_Play with ultra dangerous firearms and weaponry? Um ya._

"Duh." I jumped off the couch, clapping my hands together and rubbing them together excitedly.

But as always, someone spoils my pure excitement.

"Um Jade. Don't you remember?" Donnie said, slouched on the couch. "We all promised we would take Master Splinter to the Museum of Historical Broadcasting to see the As the Universe Turns marathon." He threw me a _duh_.

I moaned, glancing at Splinter. "Can I go with Cody please?"

Hanging out with my family was fun and all, but soap operas were downright boring as hell. _Drama, drama, drama. Blah blah blah._ If there's no action, suspense or even a little adventure, it isn't my thing. I can't believe Leo convinced Raph to go.

Splinter was meditating at the foot of the couch; his eyes were closed but I'm sure he could sense my pathetic attempt at Mikey's sad puppy dog face. His ears twitched in amusement. "Of course."

"What?!" Donnie slapped a pout on his face. "But-"

I ran over and threw my arms around Donnie's shoulders to throw him off. "Have fun Don."

Don rolled his eyes and pushed me away, crossing his arms. "Suck up."

"Call if you have burning desire to watch a hundred years of soap operas!" Leo paused from his katas, giving me a wave.

I looked over my shoulder, waving back as Donnie snapped his head at Leo.

_"Ninety one years!"_

Snickering, I jogged out of the living room- heading for the elevator. Cody had already left for the garage and If I kept him any longer, he would leave without me.

Thankfully, he hadn't. He leaned against the far wall next to a small garage door; grinning from ear to ear.

I scrunched my brows together in confusion. "What are you smiling at?"

He didn't answer; he just used his pointer finger to push down a yellow button next to the wall. The garage door opened up to reveal a stunning motorcycle.

"I remember you mentioning that you've always wanted a motorcycle so I took the liberty in making one." He looked pleased with himself. "I figured you wouldn't want one that looks like the modern ones now a days. But with Donnie's help, we looked up the models from your time. Harley... Harley something..."

The piece of machinery was gorgeous. And it was definitely based on a Harley Davidson model. A Project 4 Night Rod. I let my hand trace te seat and handles.

"It's a beauty. Thanks Cody."

* * *

Cody took his own type of transportation while I rode my new baby. _Good god, this thing is so fucking nice._

Every inch of the motorcycle from the exhaust pipe to the comfortable rubber handles made me jittery as I rode it down the freeway. I got some odd states from the civilians in their up to date 'futurese' vehicles but I honestly could care less. I haven't been this excited and happy about something for a long time. I miss that feeling; and it's been so long since I felt a leap of pure happiness that it almost hurt.

Cody led the way to O'Neal tech on a _scooter_? Compared to every single thing of transportation traveling on this freeway, the scooter looked like a tiny tot tot. It looked like Mikey's old scooter; one we found in the sewer when he was maybe six years old. But Cody's scooter went surprisingly fast, it kept up with traffic. And sadly for me; it didn't get the weird looks of the civilians.

The future is so fucking stupid.

We eventually exited the highway and cut through a small street as a shortcut to the backdoor of O'Neal tech. Cody stopped suddenly as a long, black limo passed by. Only one man who drove a limo like that. Darius Dunn.

I felt my jaw clench up as I stopped my motorcycle next to Cody; giving him a disgusted look. He returned my look with a confused one.

"What the hell is Darius doing here? He's supposed to be out of town."

I gripped the handles of my bike so hard that my knuckles turned white. "I don't know, but we're about to find out."

We silently got off our rides and ran to the end of the street, hiding behind the wall as the limo parked in front of the back door. Darius climbed out along with another man. Or dinosaur? He looked like the mailmen my brothers and I saw when we first arrived to the future. A triceratops.

"What is that?" I whispered.

"They're called Triceratons. One of the more... Shall we say violent species of aliens." Cody muttered in reply.

"Don't fear, my employees would never turn down a paid night off. We're alone." I heard Darius assure the Triceraton as they both made their way up the steps to the back door that was actually an elevator rather than a door.

"I should hope for your sake Darius, that we are alone."

I nudged Cody; pointing to the elevator. He got the memo. I let him play the honors of distraction as he pulled out a throwing star from his own utility belt and threw it at one of the empty waste canisters behind Darius and the Triceaton. It created a loud crashing sound that made the two turn around sharply.

"What was that?" The Triceraton demanded. "I thought you said we were alone?"

Cody and I used this opportunity to stealthily make a break for the elevator.

"Relax Zuko. It's probably just the city's rats." Darius replied.

There was nowhere to hide in the elevator. I started to panic until Cody pointed to the hatch on the ceiling of the elevator. He gave me a boost as I pulled the lever. I quickly climbed through and extended a hand for Cody. We barely go through the hatch as Darius and Zuko walked into the elevator.

"Now, to your merchandise on level one fourteen." Darius resumed as he pressed one of the buttons.

The ride up was silent and uneasy for my part. I was never a fan of riding elevators. And now look at me; riding on _top_ of it. I thought I was going to be sick.

Thankfully, the elevator finally stopped at level one fourteen. Darius held up his wrist and pressed a button on a metal clasp he wore. "We call this the Hot House."

They both walked out with pleased grins on their faces.

Cody and jumped down from the hatch but stayed hiding in the elevator.

Level one fourteen had rows conveyor belts on the far side of the room that all had incredibly large firearms on them. Huge blasters and the more modern versions of AK-47's.

"As I said, your units are ready for immediate delivery. Fatal on forty seven species." Darius remarked as Zuko picked up one of the blasters in his hands; looking almost mesmerized by it.

"My apologies for doubting you Mister Dunn. I'll have my crew here tonight for pickup." Zuko traced the blaster with the point of his claw.

Cody put his wristplates up to his face, commanding it to call my brothers. "Guys. Get down to O'Neal tech quickly. It's Darius. We got him."

_"Call the Peacekeepers. We'll be there as quickly as possible."_ I heard Leo reply.

* * *

"Hello, hello, hello." Chief Biggles climbed out of his car and I swear he gave me and Cody an annoyed look. "What seems to be the problem?"

Cody explained the events; starting with seeing Darius and Zuko and ending with level one fourteen and it's conveyor belts of firearms. I heard the Hover Shell park behind us.

"Cody! Jade!"

Biggles rolled his optic eyes. "We've been over this before young man. Mister Dunn collects those items to keep them off the streets."

"You idiot!" I snarled. I was getting really sick of everyone thinking Darius was innocent. "We know what we saw!"

I felt Raph's hands grab my arms. He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Calm down kiddo."

I felt the fire burning in my veins start to perish slowly but I didn't answer him as he let go of my arms.

"Level one fourteen! I'll show you!" Cody exclaimed, leading the Peacekeepers and us to the elevators.

The ride up was rather tense. I shared a worried glance with Cody.

As the elevator doors opened, Cody stepped out. "I give you, The Hot House!"

The 'Hot House' was now a... Greenhouse. Rows and rows of green plants, trees and beautiful flowers filled the room.

"What? No!" Cody yelled in dismay.

Cheif Biggles groaned. "Brilliant detective work son. A Hot House filled with flowers."

His men started walking into the rows of plants. "Careful lads... Extremely dangerous foliage."

"No! You gotta believe me!"

"We do Cody." Raph stared at the foliage with piercing eyes.

How is this possible? This is the same floor. Same room. How could Darius have possibly changed the entire setup?

"Hello? Who's there?" Darius's fake, confused call sounded. "Oh... Cody. I see you've discovered my secret hideaway and my love for rare orkits."

I lowered my eyebrows at the sight of him.

"Where are they Darius?" I asked acidly, my fists tightening.

His head innocently tilted to the side. "Where are what?"

Cody pushed me aside. "The guns and that Triceraton; Zuko you were making them for." I'm not sure if I've ever seen him look this furious before.

Darius pointed at my brothers. "Did they put you up to this?" He turned his harsh glare at me. "Did _she_ put you up to this?

I took a quick step toward him; really hoping to punch this weak excuse for a human in the jaw but Raph's firm grip on my shoulder held me back again.

"I didn't have to, we _saw_ you." I spoke with bitter resentment.

Darius ignored me, he rolled his eyes and turned to Chief Biggles standing behind him. "This is utter harassment Biggles. Ever since their arrival; these lunatics have tried to turn young Cody against me."

I felt a growl gurgle in the back of my throat.

"Well then, let's scan this place." Biggles pulled out a small device with a holoscreen that started checking for the room for anything that could set off a suspicious alarm.

"Just as I suspected. No trace of weapons energy signatures or suspicious chemical compounds or-"

Cody slapped the device out of Biggles hands. "Who are you going to believe? Me? Or some stupid machine?"

Biggles metal fists tightened. I imagined his face turning a bright red. "I beg your pardon?!"

Darius put a reassuring hand on Biggles shoulders. "Would you please be so kind enough to escort this young man home and see that he's confined to quarters."

"What?" Donnie demanded. "He can't do that!"

Darius had small smug on his face for a short moment. "As Cody's legal guardian, I most certainly can. I would like to see the punishment he deserves for this outrageous prank."

Chief Biggles tipped his hat and snapped his fingers to his men, who roughly grabbed Cody by the arms. "Certainly sir. Sorry for the bother."

"No! You can't do this! He's lying!" Cody yelled as he struggled against the Peacekeepers grips as they hauled him toward the elevator.

I kept a scorching glare on Cody's uncle; speaking in a cold voice. "This isn't over _Darius_."

His jaw clenched up from replying as he turned away. I let out a huff and followed my brothers who were waiting for me by the elevator.

I could almost be certain that Darius was planning another scheme to get rid of my brothers and I. It wouldn't be much longer before we caught him in action; and he knew it.

* * *

Cody was escorted home in a Peacekeeper car, where Serling was waiting up for him while Leo had Raph go play spy on O'Neal tech; telling him to give us a call as soon as something happened. Darius had already called ahead to Serling and told him the situation. That being said, Cody was immediately locked in his room after Serling was given strict orders to not let him out of his room. He stood in front of Cody's door, making sure my brothers and I didn't enter. I made a bowl of some kind of soup in hopes that it would make an excuse to talk to Cody but Serling wouldn't easily budge.

"Come on Serling. Even you must see that this is crazy." Leo pleaded.

"No." Serlings answer was firm. "No visitors."

Donnie let out a fake laugh. "But we're not visitors. We're family."

"Ya!" Mikey took the bowl of soup from my hands and shoved it in Serlings face. "And family brings soup!"

Serling swiped the bowl from Mikey. "It's not soup. It's consomme."

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Great. We'll tell him when we give it to him for ya." He replied loudly.

Serling put a large, metal finger up to his mouth. "Hush! Do not disturb Master Cody He needs peace and quiet."

Mikey frowned. "Some what?"

"Peace and quiet."

Mikey cupped his hand over his ear, turning it toward Serling like he couldn't understand. "What?"

_"Peace and quiet!"_ Serlings voice raised, his eyes burning with annoyance.

Mikey was incredibly good at knowing how to get on someone's nerves. Hell, he did it to Raph all the time.

Donnie pulled Serling by the arm and led him into a closet. "In here you chatterbox! Before you upset Cody."

Leo swiped the bowl of soup that was still clutched in Serlings hand. "I'll take the soup."

I quickly shut the closet doors as Mikey began pulling a large vase toward it.

_"It's consomme!"_ I heard his voice ring out from behind the doors.

"And I'll lean this priceless looking flowerpot against the door to stifle the noise!" Mikey snickered.

Donnie couldn't help himself as he followed that lead by placing several plates on top of the vase, balancing them. "With matching china plates."

"Don't you dare you miscreants!"

I bumped a fist with Mikey as we unlocked Cody's bedroom door. He was staring at the city through the wall of glass in deep thought.

"Hey Cody." Leo greeted as he set the bowl of soup on the nightstand, knowing he wouldn't really want it.

Cody didn't turn around. "I can't believe this. You guys have been warning me about my uncle for a long time. And now that I've seen it for myself... I feel like such a dope." He let his shoulders slump.

"You are a dope Cody." I remarked, sitting cross legged on his bed. "But don't be so hard on yourself. He's your uncle and you should have been able to trust him."

"And it wasn't just you. The whole city fell for his act." Leo added.

"As soon as we figure out how to expose all those weapons, we'll prove that he's a bad dude!" Mikey exclaimed, punching a fist into an open palm.

Leo's wristplates lit up, with Raph's voice sounding through. _"Yo, this thing on?"_

"Go ahead Raph. Give us good news."

_"I got some action down here. Triceratons with Darius and I'm guessing it's a little late floral deliveries." _There was a short pause. _Busted! Houston, we got bad guys. Get your ass down here."_

Leo grinned at Cody after the call disconnected. "So... You want to spend your night sipping soup? Or do you want to help busy Darius?"

Cody let a sly smile tug at his lips. "Let's bring him down."

* * *

After meeting up with Raph, we headed for level one fourteen again. It still looked like the same greenhouse garden we had stumbled upon earlier.

"Are you positive this is the place you two?" Leo asked, almost seeming a little skeptical of us.

Cody and I didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Mikey turned around, doing a couple 360's in the process. "Well... It still looks like the same floral shop we saw earlier."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks for pointing that out Mikey. How could I have missed that?"

Cody stepped forward in his Turtle X armor. "I still don't understand how the firearms just disappeared though."

I let me memory rest on the events of following Darius and Zuko up to this level earlier this morning. They had stepped into the elevator, Darius clicked the floor button, they talked about delivery and pickup, we arrived at the floor, Darius pressed a button on a metal wrist clasp, welcomed Zuko to the 'Hot House'...

_The wrist clasp_.

"Cody, remember right before getting to this floor when Darius pressed a button on that thing around his wrist? Right before he told Zuko that he called this place The Hot House." I indicated to my wrist by tapping it.

Something clicked on Cody's face. He snapped his fingers. "That's right! It must be a space fusing generator. By vibrating the molecules of solid matter at different rates, it allows two different rooms to occupy the same space! The problem is, where do we get one?"

Two Triceratons appeared seemingly out of thin air, carrying a heavy trunk. Raph tapped Mikey's shoulder; who gave a slight nod with smirk growing on his face.

"Shifts over boys, take a load off!" Raph yelled as he and Mikey knocked the two dinosaur soldiers unconscious.

"Well aren't these just fashionable." Donnie commented as he pryed a 'space fusing generator' off one of the Triceratons wrists and clasping it on his own.

We followed him as we walked toward where the Triceratons had appeared from. It was like walking through a wall of water; a cold sensation that rippled through the body. On the other side of the invisible wall, was the familiar lab with the conveyor belts and the couple hundred firearms laying on them.

"Ta-da." I walked up to one of the conveyor belts, tracing one of the blasters with my finger.

"Darius has been busy." Raph commented bitterly, peeking over my shoudler at the blaster I was studying.

"Clever. I'll give you that boy." Darius appeared from the corner of the room, wearing his own set or armor. The same set we was wearing when Jammerhead had taken over his body. "Nice to see you've learned a thing or two from your Uncle."

Cody made Turtle X take a large step forward, pointing accusingly at his uncle. "How could you Darius? My parents trusted you. _I_ trusted you."

Darius cocked his head to the side for a short moment, giving a slight shrug of te shoulders. "Yes, it's seems that stupidity is a genetic trait for your side of the family. Along with short sightedness and fraternizing with other species."

Darius immediately jumped forward and grabbed Turtle X by the arm; throwing Cody into another room attached the lab.

"Cody!" My brothers and I yelled in unison.

"Sorry. Cody can't play right now. Him and I need to have a family meeting." Darius pressed a button on the wall that brought down a huge metal wall, separating us from himself and Cody.

Donnie poked me and pointed to a control panel on the wall. "Anyway you could hack in and open the door?"

The control panel looked rather complicated. I set my fingers on the screen, letting the codes fill my mind. I could see rows and rows of numbers and letters along with the security access codes that were locked behind a few sets of firewalls.

"I can, but it will take a few minutes. The encryption codes are pretty advanced and there's at least four firewalls to break."

"The longer we spend dinking around out here, the longer Cody spends with Darius." Raph grumbled, staring at the large metal wall.

"Then let me get to work." I replied, starting the process of hacking.

"Anyone feel like we were expected?" Leo asked, turning back around.

"Ya, it's family reunion at O'Neal tech." A new voice shrieked.

I lost my concentration after hearing the new voice. I broke connection with the control panel and turned my head around. My brothers genetic clones were standing behind us, grinning.

"Aw look, the little girl is here to play too." Purple sneered, seductively smirking at me. "I want to play with her."

These _freaks_ tortured my brothers. Almost killing them. How dare they show their face now?

Donnie immediately put himself in front of me, glaring at his own clone. "Over my dead body." He growled, gripping his bo.

"Jade, break into the system. We'll cover you." Leo ordered, not breaking eye contact with the mutants.

"Leo, you guys almost died last time you fought them!" I couldn't let them battle on their own again. I didn't want a repeat of their last meeting with the clones.

He didn't answer as he charged the clones along with the rest of my brothers. I didn't want to leave them fighting without me; but Cody was in trouble too. And I would follow my brothers orders, no matter how much I wanted to say 'screw it.'

I slammed my hand back on the control panel, feeling the wave of dull electricity flow through veins and vibrate into my skull. The lines of red, neon security codes filled my mind once again behind the four set of firewalls. I figured that if I created a set of encrypted codes that would break the data on the system, it would eventually decrypt one firewall at a time.

Basically typing the right numbers and letters in a sequence that would be similar to the access codes behind each firewall. The firewall would see the code as a friendly source and make connection with it, only to find that it's like a virus that makes the firewall crumble.

It took me years to figure that shit out, no lie.

Unfortunately, making an encryption that was similar to access codes behind the firewalls was all about guessing. It could take forever.

I heard crashing behind me as I set to work, some that were rather close to me; causing me to jump slightly. I wanted to look behind me but I could risk breaks if the connection with the control panel.

_Firewall breached_.

"How are we doing over there Jade?" I heard Donnie's hopeful call, closer than I thought he would be.

"One down Don."

"Move it stick boy. I have a date with pretty over there." I heard Purple exclaim. Moments after, a loud thud against the wall.

"You're not touching her." Donnie voice was pierced with hostility and hate. A tone that sounded absolutely unreal for the genius unless he was protecting something or _someone_ he loved dearly.

On the other side of the wall, I heard a variety of explosions and gunshots along with plenty of yelling. It didn't sound good.

_Firewall breached_.

"How long have you been working for Darius?" Leo's voice demanded.

"Details, details. You should be paying attention to more immediate matters like keeping your head on!"

I heard a small explosion moments after, startling me. It almost resulted in me losing connection but I didn't turn around.

"Leo?!"

"I'm okay!" He answered. "Just finishing the hacking!"

"They think like us, move like us..." Donnie muttered, sounded a little farther away now.

"But we have something they don't. A real reason to fight. For Cody!" Leo's fierce battle cry sounded.

_Firewall breached_.

I let out deep breath. Alright. One more. I tried my best to work through the explosions and gunshots behind me. I itched to turn around to see the status of what was happening behind me. But I was so close to breaking the last firewall.

"Get the girl. We can't let them reach Darius and the boy." Blue commanded. It was in a low voices and I couldn't tell which of his cloned brothers he told.

_Firewall breached_. _Access granted._

"I got it you guys." The control panel turned green along with the large button next to it that opened the doors.

But before I could slam my hand on it, I felt my feet go out from under me. I fell onto my stomach hard.

"My my." Purple hissed in my ear.

He flipped me over and slammed me onto my back; holding my body down with his huge hands. I struggled until the pressure of his grip started to knock the breath out of me.

"You _are_ a pretty one, aren't you? Let's perform a... science experiment, shall we?" His long, snake like tongue licked the side of my face.

"Get the hell off of-" I started to scream until he covered my mouth with one of his filthy fingers.

He leaned on his hands on my body more. The pressure of his body weight felt like a boulder crushing my body, slowly. Any more weight and my ribs wouldn't be able to handle it. I could feel them starting to give away.

"No, no, no." He leaned close to my face, smugly grinning. His disgusting breath filled my nostrils.

"Get the _fuck_ off of her!"

Purple was immediately knocked off of me. The relief of his body weight off of my chest made me heave fiercely and break out into a short fit of coughs.

Leo and Mikey fought him away towards where Raph was battling with Blue. Yellow and Red were already defeated, knocked out on the ground.

Donnie kneeled down next to me, quickly but gently putting a hand in my back and helping me to my feet. "Hey, hey, hey, hey, I got you. You're okay." His worried eyes had a pang of guilt in them.

I smiled warmly. "Thanks Don."

He gulped and grabbed my cheek. "Did he hurt you? I swear to god if he-"

"Donnie, I'm okay!" I nudged him towards the battle raging on behind us. "Just.. thanks for being there for me."

He breathed and nodded before sprinting back to our brothers.

I quickly turned back to the button next to the control panel and slammed to hand down on it. The metal door opened up smoothly. The next room was huge. Maybe half the size of a football field. Cody and Darius were shooting their barrels at each other on the far side of the room.

"Doors open!" I yelled.

Leo stopped for a moment. "Go help Cody We'll finish here!"

I hesitated, not wanting to leave my brothers alone with the clones again. But seeing that there were only two left, I nodded and raced toward Cody.

"You ignorant little bitch!" Darius thundered as soon as he saw me enter the room. "A pest like you needs to be exterminated.

He raised the barrels of the gatling gun on the shoulder of his armor. I barely managed to jump out of the way behind a small mountain of rubble before bullets started bouncing off the floor behind me.

"Leave her alone Darius!" Cody yelled. More shooting. More explosions.

One particular explosion sent me flying from my hiding spot, throwing me across the floor. I raised my head to see Darius's arm raised, a blaster starting to light up from inside the barrel. With nowhere to run, I just stared at the gun; waiting for my end to meet me. If I lost another life, I would only have four left.

The blaster lit up brightly, then suddenly dimmed. Darius looked furious.

"What?!"

"You used too much power Uncle Darius. Now you're done." Cody motioned for me to move as he raised his own blaster at his uncle.

"No! You can't do this! I run O'Neal tech!" He cried.

"Ya, about that. You're fired Darius!"

I rolled across the floor as a loud explosion sent Darius skidding across the floor. His suit of armor lied motionless on the ground in the middle of the room.

"You okay Jade?" Cody asked, walking Turtle X toward me.

I nodded, getting to my feet. "I've been better."

Cody chuckled. "Well I'm sorry that this didn't meet your action and battling standards."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Right."

"Cody! Jade! You guys alright?" Leo yelled as he and my brothers raced over to us giving a sideways glance at Darius as they passed by.

Cody nodded. "Uncle Darius and I were just having a family discussion. I think we understand each other now." He grinned cheekily.

The corner of lips turned upright. Cody was getting more stronger and clever everyday. Compared to day one, he's grown up quite a bit. I felt a pang of pride for the kid.

Darius groaned and sat up quickly. "This isn't over boy." He pressed a button on his armor that started some kind of jetpack; he flew up towards the ceiling and broke through.

From the impact, more of the ceiling started to crumble on top of us. I felt Donnie grab my shoulders and force me to the ground as he used his shell to block the bigger chunks of rubbl that fell. I buried my head into his shoulder, clutching his arm.

"Watch out!" Mikey yelled.

It sounded like a war zone for a few moments. When the sound finally started to cease, Donnie released me and helped me up. Half the ceiling was gone; now on the floor in peices.

Cody looked extremely bummed as he climbed out of Turtle X, staring at the sky overhead. The sun let off beautiful orange and pink vibes.

"Don't worry Cody, we'll find him." Leo assured him.

Cody turned to the disastrous room. "So what's happens now?"

"Well, someone's gonna have to clean this room. Maybe Raph." Mikey joked, snickering.

Raph slapped his head.

"Ow!"

"It's up to me now. All the bad shit that Darius did. I have to fix all by myself." Cody kept his gaze on the room.

Leo put his hand on Cody's shoulder, gesturing to us standing behind him. "You're not alone Cody. As long as we have anything to say about it, you never will be."

Cody sighed in relief, breaking into a timid smile. "Thanks guys. Let's go home. I have a feeling it will be a long day tomorrow."


	20. How to Keep the Guilt off Your Shoulders

**So what did you guys think of the last chapter? I'm not a fan of writing anything that's super seductive so therefore I don't really know how to write a situation like the one Jade and Purple had. **

**Sorry for the late updates again! It's been busy. **

**This chapter is based on "Turtle X-Tinction" & a partial of "DNA is Thicker than Water."**

**Chapter 20: How to Keep the Guilt off Your Shoulders **

* * *

Two days after the fall of Darius Dunn, O'Neal tech gave Cody the option of choosing who would be replacing Darius for the next year until Cody finally turned twenty; which seemed to be the appropriate age to take over the business.

Cody was turning nineteen today. I managed to help Starlee hook him up for a movie date with her so I spent that morning helping her get ready. She was shaking with excitement after she fitted herself with flowy maroon shirt and a pair of black jeggings. Her hair was in a pretty updo that I was quite proud of accomplishing until she decided to do a little tuning up on a project she was working on at O'Neal tech for a couple hours. Although as she worked, strands of wavy hair fell along the frame of her face that made the updo look lazy yet more elegant.

I decided to call my brothers on a holovid as a way to keep myself busy in the lab while Starlee was tinkering some machine. The only turtle to answer was Michelangelo who wore a white apron and chefs hat in the kitchen back at the penthouse. He was mixing a bowl of cake mix; saying he wanted to bake the cake for Cody's surprise party that was being prepared.

"How's the party setup going Mikey?" I asked, watching him spill the batter over the sides of the bowl and onto the counter.

"Totally awesome. Leo, Don, Raph, and Splinter are in the living room finishing up with the balloons and streamers." He replied, grinning.

I handed Starlee a pair of plyers. "Well I'll be back there in a few minutes. Starlee is just finishing up with something here and then she'll be ok her way for her _date._" I smirked.

Starlee popped her head out from under the table of wiring she was tampering with. "It's not a date."

I cocked my head to the side. "Yes it is."

Starlee and I stared at each other few long moments before she nodded her head to the side. "Okay. It's a date."

"You really think Cody doesn't suspect anything?" Mikey asked.

I nodded. "Totally clueless."

Starlee stood up and swung the pliers in her hand. "I'm meeting him at the movies at eleven and that will keep him out of the house until at least two. You guys should have the apartment all set up by then."

Mikey nodded as more and more cake batter fell over the side of the bowl he was stirring

"You sure you know how to bake the cake?" Starlee asked with an eyebrow raised, looking rather skeptical of Mikeys baking skills.

"It's instant cake mix! What's to know?" The dough of the batter suddenly began to grow in size.

"What are you doing you imbecile?" I heard Serling's voice in the background of the holovid.

The dough suddenly exploded, covering part of the screen.

"Uh, Jade. Starlee. Gotta go!" Mikey shrieked. The holovid shut off and I imagined Serling chasing the orange banded turtle with his metal hands outstretched in the kitchen.

Starlee glanced at her watch around her wrist.

_10:30._

"Looks like it's time for me to get going too." She said happily, a skall skip in her step as she started putting away her tools.

"What are you guys seeing again?" I kept forgetting the name of the goddamn movie. I would have asked to join along since it was some kind of action movie but I didn't want to spoil Starless alone time with Cody.

"It's called-" Her voice stopped as the lights suddenly turned off. The glow of daylight streamed through the skylight windows on the ceiling but it wasn't much light for this room.

"Hello?" Starlee asked, taking a few steps forward toward the door; seeing if perhaps someone was pulling a prank on us.

_Some prank. _"Okay pal, jokes over. Come on out." I crossed my arms. Seriously though, what a lame joke.

A few loud, clattering steps slowly moved out of the shadows. It was Turtle X. I unfortunately couldn't see who was inside. Turtle X included a feature that could tint the glass and prevent anyone from seeing the inside.

What was Cody doing here?

"Cody!" Starlee exclaimed in relief. "I thought we weren't meeting up until eleven? Hey, why are you all dressed up in your-"

Her voice cut off as Turtle X backhanded her in the stomach and sent her fragile body across the lab. She hit the wall hard and fell to the floor, gripping her head in pain.

"Starlee!" I yelled, looking back at my turquoise friend.

Being that I was momentarily distracted, Turtle X grabbed me around the waist by its giant metal hand. It picked me up and slammed me onto the ground.

Instantly making my world dark.

* * *

"Jade! Jade, wake up!"

The sound of Starlee's screaming set my senses on full alert. I moaned and rubbed my head, turning it to see Starlee leaning over m with her hands grasping my arm.

"Get up! That thing is still here!"

She pulled me to my feet as Turtle X stepped into the Transcendental Lane, getting ready to upgrade its cannons and armor.

I pushed Starlee toward the side of the lab. "Call the guys, now!"

She stumbled slightly but didn't hesitate to follow my command.

I scrambled to my feet as Turtle X's upgraded body stepped out of the TL. It's arm extended and the cannon began to light up a dangerously bright red. I jumped out of the way just as the cannon fired behind me, hitting a set of tables with small explosives. They blew up; the force sending me into the table across from Starlee. Her holovid had just loaded with my brothers faces on screen.

_"Starlee? What's happening?" _

"Someone has busted into my lab wearing Codys Turtle X armor!" She screamed over the sound of the bullets that had started firing out of the Gatling gun on the armored shoulder.

I had made my way away from Starlee, trying my best to keep her out of harms way best I can as I ducked behind a metal desk. The bullets pinged off the wall behind me and on the desk. Papers flew onto the floor along with the fires that had started within the lab.

_"Where's Jade?!" _I heard Leo's frantic voice.

I pried the gun from its holder on my thigh as a pause from the shooting gave me the time to stand up and shoot Turtle X in the barrel of the Gatling gun. My accuracy proved fatal as two of the barrels imploded.

"Jades busy right now." I yelled as another explosion from a cannon was shot a little too close for comfort to my right. The Gatling gun started firing immediately after.

I scrambled behind another desk as more bullets pinged around me.

_"Guys? What are you watching? The TV is so-" _

_"Cody! When was the last time you saw your Turtle X armor?!" _

_"Well It was in the lab last night, why?" _

I stood up as the shooting suddenly stopped, instantly putting my hand up to somehow override the codes that commanded the cannon.

Unfortunately, an unbreakable firewall stood in my way of shutting down the cannon. The encryption code was so advanced for even brilliant minds like Donnie and April.

"I can't shut it down! This technology is way too advanced for me!"

_"Get down Jade!" _

Turtle X took advantage of my distracted mind as it held up its metal hand. It lit up with a strange purple light and exited like a giant net, extending as it approached me and blocking all possible escape routes.

The purple net went through me like an electrical shock. My body was inflamed with an excruciating pain that sent my body rippling on the cold ground as my hands clawed at my skin like I was having an intense seizure. There was no wound to grasp, no way to feel like I was easing the pain. My heaving breaths and agonizing screams seemed to satisfy Turtle X as it turned around and headed for the hallway.

_"Starlee, call the Peacekeepers. We're coming right now!" _Leo yelled, his voice was edged with immense worry.

_"Jade, hang on!" _Raph pleaded just as the call ended.

Starlee sprinted to my side as my body finally started to stop shaking, grabbing my shoulder.

"Jade! Jade are you okay?!"

I nodded in between my heavy breaths. "Where did it go?"

She quickly stood to her feet. "I'll find it! It went into the lobby."

"Wait, don't go after it by yours-" Starlee had already started sprinting away toward the doorway, leaving me to stumble to my feet by myself.

My legs were still shaky as I made my way to the doorway of the lab, slowly gaining speed and strength as I went although there was still random jolts of pain that stabbed me randomly.

The lobby was empty except for the scattered papers and overturned tables. Turtle X definitely came through here.

_But where was it and Starlee?_

My question was answered by a loud couple of crashes down a short hallway to my left. Starlee was at the end of the hallways leaning against the walls by a pair of doors that had been broken off their hinges. Darius Dunns office.

Starlee held up her wristplates and turned on her communicator.

"Turtle X is in Darius's old office." She whispered.

_"Hold tight. We're almost there." _Came Leo's tense reply. _"Where's Jade? Is she okay?" _

I lifted my wrist plate up. "I'm okay. A little shocked if you get my drift."

I couldn't help put a little dry humor in the situation. Leo obviously didn't find it funny and neither did Donnie or Splinter but I swore I could hear Raph, Mikey and Cody trying to stifle a laugh on the other end of the call.

_"Not the time for jokes." _I could imagine him rolling his eyes irritability.

There was a loud crash inside the office. Turtle X had blasted the large glass window at the approaching Hover Shell. The blast hit the flank of the hover car and sent it spiraling into a nose dive along with two Peacekeeper cars.

"No!" I screamed, helplessly watching disappear from my view.

_No one shoots my brothers and gets away with it. _

Hatred burned in my veins. I ran into the office without giving it a second thought, throwing myself into the back of Turtle X's armor. I grabbed my handgun as I kept a gripped a crevice of the armor, aiming for the power source that was inbetween the shoulder plates.

No effect.

How would that even be possible? Disabling the power source should shut the whole system down. Just like unplugging a TV set from the outlet.

Turtle X grabbed my wrist and flung me off, throwing my body to the ground; My back jolted with momentary pain as I collided with tile. Turtle X then raised both of its fists, powering up for the final blow.

"Whoa!" I rolled out of the way just as the fists slammed into the floor.

"Jade!"

I glanced up to see my brothers standing in the doorway.

_But how..?_

Unfortunately, Turtle X noticed as well. It turned around and grabbed the giant desk that was still in one piece in the middle of the room and threw it into the hallway.

Leo had shielded Starlee who was still just inside the doorway. "Get to the Hover Shell." He ordered; one she didn't hesitate to follow.

"Whoever's in there, come out! Or I'm gonna pry you out!" Raph jumped onto Turtle X's glass windshield along with Mikey while Leo and and Donnie were immediately at my side.

"Jade, are you okay?" Leo asked, almost shaking my shoulders.

I shrugged his hands away. "I already told you I'm fine."

He nodded, not in the mood to fight me about it and turned to see Raph had finally been thrown to the ground and Turtle X was swinging its fists towards Mikey by the already broken window.

"Can't touch me!" He exclaimed like it was a fun game. His nunchucks swinging onto the metal of Turtle X's armor with absolutely no effect.

I saw the purple net form before it was shot, the familiar color was leaking out of the cannon of the armor.

"Mikey move!" I yelled. Not giving any thought, I pushed the armors hand up; the shot firing directly above Mikeys head. Turtle X stumbled toward the window; and before falling, it's an swung it's arm and pushed Mikey and I out with it.

We free fell from the side of the building. A forty story drop that I didn't know if I could survive. I didn't know what extent my superhuman body structure was. My body might be strong, but it can't keep me pain free from such a height.

_Mikey. _

His genetic structure could keep him alive.

Time seemed to go in slow motion as he gave me one transfixed look that said more than a thousand words could say. His eyes twisted with feelings that only I would be able to understand.

Fear. Guilt.

He instantly grabbed me by the hand and forced me into his arms, cradling my body to his before we hit the pavement below. I felt the heavy thump of my brothers body the moment we got the ground and the speckled scarlett drops of blood lightly splattering across my skin.

_No no no no. _

The orange banded turtle laid doubled over on the ground with his head trembling and his jaw locked.

"Mikey. Hey, hey, hey... you're okay. You're okay." My wobbly voice spurted out as I grabbed his head, clutching his cheeks.

Mikeys lips tugged into the tiniest of smiles as he clumsily grabbed my wrist. "No... _you're _okay."

His smile faded quickly as his body went into a small shudder; his grip on my wrist loosened and dropped.

"Mikey..." I gripped his cheeks harder as his eyelids closed slowly. "Stop. You're fine..."

I pressed my fingers to his neck. There was a faint pulse that pumped underneath the skin. He was alive. Barely. He needed medical attention immediately.

I heard a click behind me; slowly turning my head, Turtle X had the cannon barrel aimed towards me with the purple light glowing fiercely. It had more strength than the last couple times it had warmed up.

I got to my feet, standing in front of my unmoving brother, holding my ground. I wasn't running from this. Not this time. Mikeys body wouldn't be able to stand the shock of the electrical net in the condition he was in now.

I was going to take the heat for him.

"Well? Come on!" I yelled, my lips curled in hated snarl. My fists numbed from tightening them so harshly.

The Hover Shell landed a few yards away when my brothers, father, Starlee, Cody and even Serling hopped out; all shouting my name.

Turtle X fired. The purple force swarmed my body and the familiar searing pain returned as my body dropped to the ground. My heart pounded so quickly that I felt it would explode out of my chest at any second. The electricity that burned in my veins increased dramatically over a short period of a few seconds. The force was amped up.

Someone had kneeled down next to me and grabbed my shoulders. My vision was so blurry from the painful tears escaping my eyes that I couldn't tell who it was. Their voice was pleading, telling me it was going to be okay and that I'll be fine.

I tried keeping my attention on Mikey instead of the pain. _No, you're okay._

The same line repeated in my mind over and over again as my body finally started to subside. Although, I still couldn't tell who it was, someone picked me up in their arms and carried me to the Hover Shell.

"M-Mikey..." I mumbled, stumbling over my words in the back of my throat.

"We have him." Leo's voice whispered as he squeezed me protectively.

My eyes felt heavy as the darkness closed in.

* * *

My sense overwhelmed me as a soreness gripped my muscles. I slowly raised my arm and rubbed my head when someone said my name.

Starlee.

"How long have I been out?" I started to sit up, finding myself laying on the couch in the penthouse. The room was a disaster.

She seemed a little on edge, more than she should be. "A couple hours. Darius had hijacked Turtle X and tried to kill Cody by getting him inside the armor itself and setting a time bomb off inside."

My stomach dropped. "Tried?"

"Ya. Donnie and I were able to plant a virus in the system to shut it down before the bomb went off. But Darius forced Turtle X here and he destroyed all of Codys artifacts and part of the lab."

I glanced around the room, noting the shattered glass and the broken furniture before suddenly snapping my head toward Starlee again.

"Where's Mikey?" My hands gripped the edge of the couch.

She looked over her shoulder. "In the lab. Donnie said he's stable right now."

I got to my feet immediately and headed down the hall toward the lab. Mikeys motionless body was laid out on one of the tables with a couple needles stuck in his arm and a tube down his throat. Bandages covered a third of his body along a splint on his leg. I let out a long breath and traced my brothers hand before slowly grabbing it.

"Where's everyone else?" I mumbled, knowing Starlee was watching me from the doorway.

There was a jumble of different words said at the same time from down the hallway. Raph and Leo's were the loudest in the midst of an argument as they got louder and louder.

"... Way we can keep him here Leo. You know what he's done to us!" Raph's voice tinged sharply.

"He just saved Codys life. Besides, if he doesn't get medical attention now, he's going to die."

"Who cares? We have Mikey to worry about, not this freak. This is total bullshit!"

Donnies irritated grumble sounded like he was carrying something heavy. "Would you two knock it off?"

My brothers all sounded like they were carrying something heavy in fact. Between their words were grunts and pauses to take deep breaths. When they finally entered the doorway, I saw why.

They were dragging Blue into the lab.

"Starlee, aren't you watching Jade?" Donnie asked as they placed Blues motionless body on a lab table in the middle of the room, oblivious to me standing by Mikey.

Starlee didn't answer except for the one way motion of her hand in a pointing gesture towards me on the far end of the lab.

I didn't feel anything except for bitter rage when my family had a look of relief that washed across their faces.

"What is the hell is _that _doing in here?" I growled, my eyes narrowing darkly on Leo's genetic clone.

Cody stepped forward, nervously tapping his fingertips together. "He saved my life on the roof. His genetic clones had attacked after Turtle X was destroyed to kill me. Donatello's clone was in a hovercar and tried to shoot me with one of the cannons attached." He glanced over his shoulder at Blue. "Leo's clone took the hit for me. Then his brothers ditched."

My blood boiled, increasing as it flowed through my veins. After everything they've done to us, why would Blue save Cody when he supposed to be killing him? It made absolutely no sense. I didn't acknowledge Codys explanation as I sighed and sat down in the chair next to the table with my unconscious brother; leaning my elbow on the table and resting my forehead on my palm.

Codys birthday has just gone terribly wrong hasn't it?

I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder from Raphael. He too, glared at Blues body on the table.

Donnie and Cody had hooked up machines to Blues body and began examining the damage done to his body. Horrid burns covers the top left portion of the turtles plastron and shoulder; presumably where the cannon blast had made contact. For his sheer size, he was quite scrawny to what he should bed. He didn't look like he ate much.

"It's amazing." Donnie exclaimed, staring at the clipboard in his hands with a holoscreen of Blue's and Leo's DNA. "There's barely half a dozen differences between Leo's and that things DNA sequences."

I huffed. "But Leo is Leo and that _thing _is a mess. An abomination."

Donnie ignored my comment. "I'll mend his wounds as best I can. Then he'll need rest."

Although I was more suitable for playing nurse, Donnie knew I would refuse to help the genetic clone. Why should I have to have anything to do with it?

"What?" Serling cried, his optics eyes opening wide in surprise. "Another turtle? I need to sit down."

Raph's grip on my shoulder tightened. "What? That thing can't stay here! He just tried to kill us, _again._"

"So what do you want us to do then? Drop him off at the hospital and tell everyone to watch their asses?" Leo gave back, his voice raising.

Splinter and Cody watched the two go off on each other from the sideline along with Donnie. Thinking that they should just let their frustration and anger out now instead of later but to me, there were more important matters.

Raph turned to Donnie. "What about you big brain? What do you think of this... Bullshit?"

The purple banded turtle glanced at table Blue laid on that was now surrounded by a blue force field.

"He's in a portable force field that even the Hover Shell would have a hard time busting through. He can safely stay here until he's stable enough to leave." He said simply, ending his part in the conversation by tu

"And after he gets better? Then what?" Raph demanded, looking from Donnie to Leo.

None of answered. _Well don't everybody answer all at once. _

I kept my forehead in my palm, staring at the ground with Mikeys limp hand was still in my grasp. I felt Raph give my shoulder another reassuring squeeze before leaving the room.

Donnie and Leo joined me next to the youngest brothers body; Donnie checking his vitals and stability before giving me a "Hes okay."

* * *

A week passes and neither Mikey or Blue woke up from their mini-comas.

I kept a constant watch on my brother despite my family's actions to try to get me to leave the lab. I barely ate what my brothers brought me and I slept sitting slumped in the chair. Although Donnie brought me a book to keep myself busy which I gratefully accepted thinking it would help me keep my mind off Michelangelo; it didn't help too much. I was barely able to read a couple paragraphs at a time before the same three words repeated in my mind over again.

_No, you're okay._

Donnie spent a third of his day in the lab with Cody as they still worked on their projects. More to keep me company then to actually make progress on whatever devices their genius minds created. And of course, to keep themselves busy through Mikeys absence.

Leo, Raph and Splinter came in occasionally to check on both Mikey and I. Giving the same "He'll be okay" with the reassuring hand and shoulder squeeze.

And finally, to my severe disappointment, Blue woke up. I was still seated next to Mikey with the book in my hands when Blues head groggily lifted up, staring at me.

I had been currently alone in the lab as Donnie had been making me something to eat and Cody was on the roof training with Splinter. Where everyone else was, I didn't know.

"Guys!... Donnie!" I yelled, not breaking my stare with Blue.

Raph was the first to burst into the room followed moments later by Leo and Donnie with a tray of food; all looking at Mikey first before catching my stare at Blue.

"Hey, uh... Guy. You've been unconscious for almost a week. How do you feel?" Donnie asked, taking a small step toward the blue force field.

Blue didn't answer. He crossed his arms after swinging his legs over the side of the table, still keeping his eyes in me.

Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Here, um... That force field is calibrated to accept this tray." He gestured as Donnie clicked a button a remote controlling the force field before taking the tray and sliding it on the ground through the force field.

Blue scrunched his nose up at the sight of it. "What's in it? Poison?"

I huffed. "You think we'd save your life just to feed you poison?"

Blue laid back down on the table, turning his back to us. "My brothers would. Go stick it."

Raph threw his arms up and started walking toward the doorway. "Oh this is going to be swell."

Both Leo and Donnie sighed heavily. Frustration was scribbled all over their faces as they turned and walked over to me still seated next Mikey.

"The food was supposed to be yours. Do you want me to get you something else?" Donnie rubbed my shoulder with his thumb, keeping his solemn gaze rested on his little brother.

I slowly shook my head. "No thanks. I'm fine."

"You haven't anything since last night Jade. Come on. You can come back as soon as you're done." Leo persisted by grabbing my hand and gently pulling me to my feet.

"What if he wakes up?" I asked, tugging on his grip slightly.

"You'll be the first to know." Donnie sat down in the chair, replacing me from my constant vigil. "I'll watch him right now."

I hesitated. I didn't want to leave my self stationed post from my brothers side but I knew at the same time that I could stay in the lab forever. I gave in and let Leo lead my out of the lab, noticing Blue glancing over his shoulder at me as I left.

Leo poured a small bowl of some kind of crackers that he had found in the cupboards and served me it on the couch, knowing I wouldn't eat too much. For the shitty food the future had, it wasn't bad.

"How are you feeling?" Leo asked, leaning his shell against the back cushions.

I shrugged slightly, nibbling on a cracker. "Fine."

He raised a brow, gesturing that he didn't believe me. I hate it when he does that.

I dropped the cracker back into the bowl and placed it on the table before running my hands through my hair.

"I'm just so sick of everyone getting hurt because of me." I placed my elbows on my knees and buried my head in palms in frustration.

"You can't blame yourself every time something bad happens."

I turned my head in my palms to look at him. "When's it's my fault, I have every right to blame myself."

"It's never your fault. We get ourselves into bad situations that we can't climb out of all the time. If we carried the guilt on our shoulders from every possible encounter that ended up having one of us injured or killed, we would be dead just from the weight that's piled on." He stared ahead, almost like he was zoning out. "I know I would be. I carry the blame for letting our family down the night April's apartment burned down. I couldn't save you from falling with the Shredders dojo or falling into the water when the Endurance was sinking in the Yamatai scenario Viral put us through. I couldn't save you from being murdered multiple times and I couldn't save Mikey in time to be beaten to a pulp when you two were captured. I couldn't even save you from being murdered by Sh'Okanabo. I failed to keep Mikey, Don and Raph safe from our genetic clones when we walked straight into a trap I should have seen coming when our genetic clones captured us."

I never thought about that. The responsibility of being the team leader was hard enough for the eldest and to put another couple hundred reasons on his guilty weight is exhausting.

"Leo... I'm sorry. I'm being so selfish, thinking about myself and not what everyone else is feeling." My voice cracked. I shifted closer to him and wrapped my arms around his bicep, resting my head on his shoulder. "How do you do it? How do you keep your guilt from burying you alive?"

"My greatest fear is failing my family. Letting the past weigh me down allows a higher risk of doing so because I can't do my job. Protecting you and our family. We're all we have. That's what I need to think about every time I want to just escape reality."

I squeezed his arms tightly. "Thank you Leo."

He kissed the top of my head. "It's what I'm here for Jay. Don't forget that."

I felt drowsiness wash over me, my eyelids were suddenly very heavy.

"I won't."

* * *

"Jade, Leo! Wake up!"

I moaned and lifted my head that had still been leaning against Leo's shoulder who was aldo being forced awake by Donnies persistence. We had both fallen asleep in the couch last night.

"What Don?" Leo asked, stretching his arm and letting out a large yawn.

Donnie pointed towards the lab with a relieved grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear. "Mikey."

My eyes snapped open as I jumped off the couch, sprinting for the lab with my brothers behind me. Sure enough, the orange banded turtle was sitting up on the table; looking like he had barely slept in weeks. Raph, Cody and Splinter were already next to him, laughing as they pulled him into tight embraces. Leo quickly made his way over, joining in the "How do you feel" and the "Good to see you awake bro."

I stood with Donnie behind me a couple feet from the table, taking a deep breath of relief. Mikey noticed me and broke into a grin. He opened his arms up for a tight hug, letting me bury my head into his shoulder.

"I'm okay." I whispered muffle, smiling to myself.

He squeezed. "I know you are."

An annoyed groan came from the other side of the lab. Blue was sitting up, rolling his eyes at us.

"When will the fruity hug fest be over? It's making me sick."

Mikey released me, scrunching his brow at Blue. "Why is he here?"

"Come on, we can explain in the living room." Leo seized his little brothers arm and helped him to his feet, assisting him out of the lab along with Cody.

I started to follow until Blue stopped me. "What happened to him?" His gaze moved from me to the doorway where Raph and Donnie were waiting for me.

I glanced at him as I passed by. "He saved my life."


	21. Choice

**SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE.**

**This chapter is based on the second half of "DNA is Thicker than Water." **

**And **_**hint hint: **_**We are reaching a close to the end of this series! I mean like… Season 6, in the future. The turtles, Jade and Splinter will be returning home soon! Yay! We miss you April & Casey!**

**Sorry for any typos… Its late at night..**

**Chapter 21: Choice**

* * *

"I'm just checking your vitals." I stood next to the force field. The buzzing from it sounded like an annoying fly in my ear.

Blue swung his legs over the side of the table, his harsh gaze rested on my arms. I almost thought his eyes softened at the sight of the canvas carved into my skin.

"Don't you know it's not nice to stare?"

Blue didn't flinch. He kept his gaze on my arms. "What happened?"

I didn't answer. I held a holo clipboard in my hands, recording his vitals down like Donnie asked me to earlier.

"What happened?" Blue repeated, a little more demanding this time.

I rolled my eyes, letting out a long exasperated breath. "Why do you care?"

He slowly rubbed his own arm with a hand, using a finger to trace the line of a long white scar that ran down his bicep. One that I had noticed but never cared to ask about. Now, I was rather curious.

"Darius gifted me with this when he created my brothers and I, finding the need to harden us up somehow." He peeked over his shoulder at the old cut before looking back at me.

I almost felt a pang of pity for him. His anger and violent nature was his creators fault. He was made to be used, to help destroy. He's a tool for someone else's use.

But then again, so was I.

I uncomfortably cross my arms over my chest, hugging the clipboard. "An organization that my brothers and I have been fighting with for a long time had kidnapped me when I was a little girl. This was the result of some... Sessions with them."

I took a few steps back toward the door. I wasn't in the mood to talk to Blue. Not that I ever was.

He scrunched his brows, looking as though he wanted me to elaborate but didn't open his mouth to do so. I left him, quickly turning around and heading for the living room.

Mikey sat on the couch with Donnie who was inspecting his casts. It would still be awhile before he could take those baby's off unfortunately. I sat on the other side of the orange banded turtle whose boredom was getting ready to kill him.

"How are ya feeling Mikey?" I asked, chuckling at his dramatic facial expression.

He gave me a glare that could say something along the lines of _'How the hell do you think I'm feeling?'_

Raph stomped into the living room, looking like he was ready to start ranting about something that he didn't like. As usual. Leo and Cody followed him, both taking a seat on the couch.

"It's been weeks. We should start chargin' mister happy if we're gonna rent to him." Raph huffed with his arms tightly crossed over his plastron.

"His bandages come off in a couple weeks. A few tests and he's out of here." Donnie replied, scrolling through the holo clipboard he held.

"Have you guys noticed? He seems to be..." Cody glanced up, choosing his words carefully. "... Struggling with something."

Leo cocked his head to the side. "What are you getting at Cody?"

He stood up, rolling his head on his neck. "Well... He did save my life. I mean, maybe we could do something to help him not be so bad? In theory."

"Well he does share significantly similar traits with our Leo. The nature versus nature debate could raise some interesting debates on that." Donnie commented.

Mikey nodded. "What if we stopped treating him like a monster and more like a regular guy?" He suggested.

Raph squinted one eye, staring at all of us disbelievingly. "Alright, when did this bus take a left into crazy town? You guys can't be buyin' his act can you?"

I shrugged, running a hand through my hair. "I don't know Raph. Before we came here, I always thought that once you were bad, you could never just switch gears and be the good guy again. But Bishop changed my theory on that."

Raph looked ready to protest until I put a hand up to stop him.

"I'm not saying I don't agree with you. But I think we should give him a chance."

Raph immediately turned his gaze to Leo, who had his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his knuckles.

"Leo, tell me ya ain't buyin' this."

The eldest didn't answer at first. He glanced back at the kitchen where Serling was finishing up with breakfast. Cody had somehow found pancakes and biscuits at a grocery shop downtown. We were all downright excited for this meal.

"Invite him to breakfast."

"What?!" Raph threw his hands on the sides of his head. Grasping his skin so tightly that he looked like he was about to rip it clean off.

* * *

I pulled the chair out from its spot beside the table. "Here Mikey."

"Thanks sis." He grinned gratefully and slowly sat down next to Raph.

"Jade, could you be helpful enough to set the table?" Serling's mono-tone asked me from his place in the kitchen.

I nodded. "Ya Serling. I'm coming."

A large tray of a mountain of pancakes stood on the counter along with two trays of almost four dozen biscuits. A feast. I almost melted at the intriguing aroma that surrounded my nose.

Serling pointed to a pile of plates. Pretty China plates. _Really? _What was Serling thinking?

"I already put the silverware on the table." He said before heading to the table.

I shrugged to myself and grabbed the plates. They were heavier than I expected, but nothing I couldn't handle. I heaved the plates and headed toward the dining area.

I stopped mid-step as Blue approached the table without the protective glowing force field around him. He was accompanied by Leo and Donnie. I gritted my teeth at the sudden trust we put into Blue but pushed forward, gently setting the plates in front of everyone before taking my own seat. I unfortunately was placed next to Blue; but I tried my best to keep a positive attitude at the table.

"Dig in boys." I grinned, grabbing a fork and puncturing two of the pancakes on top of the pile and slapping them on my plate.

My family's excited mumbles were cut off by Blue's large hands. He grabbed the overly large tray of pancakes and starting shoving them into his mouth, hardly swallowing. I didn't even know if he was taking breaths between each chew. Small, soggy pieces of pancake flew out of his mouth. I glanced at Leo with a disturbed cringe on my face.

Blue then grabbed one of the trays of biscuits.

"And there go the biscuits..." Raph muttered.

Mikey had grabbed two of the biscuits he had grabbed earlier, but now set them on Raph's plate. "You can have mine. All of a sudden, food doesn't have its usual appetite."

Blue snapped a quick glare on Mikey, still shoving biscuits into his mouth. "Where I live, you fight for food. You eat what you can, when you can. Or you starve."

I dropped my fork on the table in distaste. "Well this isn't where you live so you don't exactly need to worry about that."

Mikey nodded. "Right. Here, looking out for each other is pretty much what we do. Kinda the golden rule."

Blue stopped for a moment. Raising one of his nostrils up in confusion and disgust. "You're the dumb one right? Cause that's the stupidest thing over ever heard."

My fist tightened. "Watch what you say pal."

Leo shot me a warning glance before he turned his attention to Blue. "Yet here you are in a New York penthouse because of something you did. Saving Cody still sound stupid?"

That statement stopped Blue completely. For a long moment, he zoned out. I was tempted to clear my throat loudly and prompt him but he finally pulled a half chewed piece of pancake out of his mouth and placed it on my plate.

"How's that?" He asked. There was a look of hopefulness that was splashed across his face. One I never thought I would see on him.

I triedy best to return a warm smile, but I was struggling not to gag at the slimy, spit covered pancake that laid on my plate.

I covered my hand over my mouth. "Uh... Thanks."

Blue gave a curt nod and stood up. Donnie immediately pressed a button on a small remote that controlled the bluish force field that surrounded him. Blue didn't say another word as he limped toward the lab.

I slid my plate forward, needing some relief of its sight.

"Well?" Cody asked, turning to Donnie.

Donnie shrugged. "Too early to say."

"He's a lot less scary than I thought he would be." Mikey remarked, glancing back toward the lab entrance.

"Uh hello?" Raph slammed a fist on the table. "Reality check! He's _evil. _Give this guy an inch and he'll take spleen. I ain't buyin' it!"

"We can keep trying. His bandages don't come off for another two weeks so we have more than enough time." Donnie scrolled through his clipboard.

Serling sighed and headed for the kitchen. "I guess I'll make more food."

I stood up, grabbing the plates at the table. "Thanks Serling."

* * *

"Mikey! Get off!" I screamed through a fit of laughs.

The orange banded turtle was so excited when he given the all clear to remove his casts after the long six weeks. Thanks to the technology of the future, his broken bones healed quickly.

Raph, Cody, Mikey and I were in the dojo when Mikey tackled me to the ground. Apparently he felt the need to hug me but I felt like I had gotten hit by a truck when the force of my brothers body hit mine.

"I can't Jade. I'm dead." Mikey went still, his tounge hanging out of his mouth like a dog.

"Dead turtles don't talk back." I tried pushing him off but failed miserably. I turned my head to Raph. "Help Raphie!"

Raph couldn't contain his laughter. "Sorry kiddo. You're on your own."

I frowned, glaring at him. "Some big brother you are."

He held his hands up, still laughing along with Cody. "Okay fine. I'm comin'."

Cody watched as Raph took his time in walking over and grabbing Mikey by his arm, sliding him off my chest. As soon as Mikey was completely off, he hyped to his feet with a giant grin on his face.

"I couldn't resist." He said, extending a hand.

I shook my head, an amused smirk on my face. "Clearly."

As I accepted his hand to help me to my feet, the dojo door slid open. Blue was accompanied by Leo and Donnie.

"... Is the last stop before a clean bill of health." Donnie had his eyes glued to his clipboard. "Your wounds are almost completely healed. I just want to test a few vitals and then we can-"

"Take me out of this car and send me off with the Peacekeepers?" Blue finished, gesturing to the force field.

Donnie raised a brow and held up the remote for the dojo. All that changed in the room after he clicked it was a massive weight bench.

"Uh... Let's just get through the test. Just lift the bar and if anything starts to hurt, just stop."

Raph snorted. "Ya and if anything does hurt, we'll give you a bubble bath and a massage."

Blue huffed, snapping a momentary glare at him.

Donnie pointed to the bench. "You'll have to sit here but I'll have to drop the force feild. Can I do that?"

Blue hesitated, but eventually nodded. The force feild dropped, giving him free roam. I place my palm on the handle of my wakizashi. I felt like we were putting too much trust into this guy in a short amount of time.

Blue laid down on the bench, grasping the metal bar. He took one deep breath before pushing. His arm looked like jello as he struggled to lift te bar more than a couple inches.

Donnie squinted at his clipboard. "By this time, I would have expected more muscle strength... The mass is there but we may have to keep him a couple more weeks just to be safe."

_Oh perfect. _

Raph shifted beside me. I didn't think his eyes could narrow any lower. "Maybe we should change his diapers too? And maybe get him a bottle while we're at it?"

"Shut up." Blue growled behind his gritted teeth.

Raph took a couple steps forward. "I mean how old are ya anyway? A few weeks outta the test tube? I don't think we should push the little guy so hard!" His voice was pure venom with each word he spat out.

The veins in Blue's arm popped out as he slowly pushed the bar higher and higher. Donnies clipboard began beeping rapidly.

"He's definitely feeling better!" Donnie exclaimed, taking a few steps back.

The bar snapped. Snapping a thick metal bar like that needs a _lot _of power. Blue sat up stomped towards Raph, pointing his ugly finger at him.

"You think you're pretty smart? You got me all figured out?" His lip curled. "You don't know anything about me! But it doesn't matter, does it? I'm just a monster."

He immediately started walking toward the dojo door. Donnie lit the force feild around him again as he disappeared through the doors.

"That went well." Cody rubbed the back of his neck.

"I told you guys he was fakin' it." Raph snorted, giving us the _I told you so _look.

"Was that really necessary Raph?" Leo crossed his arms, giving his brother a frown.

"Well it worked didn't it?" He gave back.

"So what's the plan now?" Mikey asked, staring at the dojo doors.

"Give him a choice. Stay with us or go with the Peacekeepers." Leo stated, his voice firm.

Raph took a step toward the eldest, jabbing a finger into his plastron. "Are you _tryin' _to get us all murdered? We all know what he's capable of! He was born a killin' machine, he ain't turnin' back!"

Leo glanced at me. "Bishop was evil once. And look at him now. We need to give this guys a chance."

I would never trust Bishop. But despite our deep past, he has shown that he no longer carries out the dark duties he once did. He's changed for the better. I hate to admit it, but I respected what he's done for this planet. If Bishop can change, who says Blue can't?

I exchanged a look with both Donnie and Mikey. They nodded slowly. I took a deep breath and turned back to Leo.

"Do it."

Raph slumped his shoulders and rolled his head on his neck. "Whatever."

Leo nodded to me, gesturing to follow him. We left the dojo and headed in the direction of the lab.

"Do you really think he can change?" I asked, sensing some edge in my brother.

Leo sighed. "We can only hope."

As we approached the lab, Leo grabbed the extra remote that controlled the force feild. Blue was already laying down on the medical table he had been assigned to for the past six weeks. There was frustration and even hints of sadness that was slapped across his face.

"What do you want?" He snarled.

I sat down backwards in one of chairs by the desk, leaning my arms on the backrest. Leo crossed his arms, standing no more than two feet away from me.

"Our Master Splinter tells us a story. There was once a scorpion who needed to cross a stream. He asked a frog to take him across on his back. The frog said, 'How do I know you won't sting me?'. The scorpion promised he would never do such a thing. So the frog agreed to carry him across the stream. Halfway across, the frog felt a burning pain in his back. The scorpion had stung him. As the frog succumbed to the poison, he and the scorpion began to sink. The frog cried out, 'Why did you do that? Now we will both perish?'. The scorpion replied, 'I did it, because it's my nature.'"

Blue hung onto every word of the story, seeming to be zoning out. Like he was imagining the frog and the scorpion.

"I believe that when you offer people the opportunity to be the best they can be, they take it." Leo continued. "Tomorrow morning, we're going to give you a choice. Leave in the custody of te Peacekeepers, or stay with us."

Blue snapped out of his daydream, staring at Leo in disbelief. "Why would I do that?"

I shifted in my chair. "I believed that once you were a monster, you could never turn back."

Blue narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to speak up until I put up a hand to stop him.

"We're not from around here. In the past eleven months, my belief has changed because of one man that I thought could never change his ways." I held up my forearm, showing my scars. "You asked where I got these. I won't share his identity, but he was one of the purest forms of evil I had ever had the unfortune of meeting. But now, he's a different man. He's done good for this planet and his old ways are behind him. I respect who he's become. I now believe that anyone can turn their life around if they're given the opportunity to prove themselves."

I could feel Leo's peering eyes and slow nod of his head.

Blue let his shoulders rise and fall in a single motion. "Why are you telling me this?"

Leo walked over to the force field with the remote held out in front of him. "To find out if you're a scorpion... Or a turtle."

He dropped the remote, purposely letting it land inside the force field. I sat up from the chair and followed Leo as he turned without another word and left the lab. Everyone stood waiting for us in the living room.

"So?" Raph asked with dark tone.

"Go to the garage. Be ready for the rest of the clones if he decides to do deny our offer." Leo ordered firmly, pointing his finger in the direction of the garage. He turned to me. "Go with them."

"Be careful Leo." I murmured before following my brothers.

The garage was empty at the moment, except for the Hover Shell, the motorcycle Cody had made for me and plenty of metal crates that held tools. The only noise was the sound of Serling's footsteps.

"Do you think he's going to stay with us?" Cody asked in a slightly nervous tone. I couldn't blame him, keeping a bad guy in his own home would be pretty uncomfortable.

I shook my head, sighing. "No Cody, I don't think he's going to stay."

"Then what the hell are doin'? We should be bootin' him outta here." Raph exclaimed.

I turned toward him. "It's like Leo said. Almost anyone can change. Bishop did? So why can't he?"

Raph poked one of his green fingers into my shoulder. "So does that automatically make you think the Shredder could change too? You're losin' it Jade!"

"I'm not saying _everybody _can change Raph! But some people deserve a chance-"

"He ain't no person. Get your head outta your ass."

I slapped his hand away, I couldn't think straight. I was so sick of my brothers harsh temper. Sick of his closed mind.

Before I could snap a comment back, Donnie put his hands on both of our shoudlers and pushed us apart.

"Alright you two, knock it off."

I scowled, keeping a glare on the red banded turtle for another couple moments before turning around sharply and headed toward the middle of the garage. I passed Master Splinter, who had stayed silent while Raph and I bickered. He sighed as I pushed passed him.

I sat myself down on one of the cold, metal crates; running my hand over my long French braided hair.

_You're losin' it Jade. _

Was I really? No. I can't take Raph seriously. He was just angry.

But maybe he is right? I was in favor of asking Blue to stay with us because I think people can change? _What the hell am I thinking? _He can't change. There's no way. I was asking a murder... Someone who has tortured my brothers, to stay in the same home as us.

I was losing it. I'm out of my mind.

I put my hands on my head, resting my elbows on my knees. _What's wrong with me? _

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud siren. Yellow lights began flashing throughout the garage.

"Emergency lockdowns been initiated." Cody said.

I could physically feel the disappointment in my stomach. _No no no. Stop it. _

The ceiling opened up. A small hover ship was beginning to land on the ground, leaving myself on one side while my brothers, Cody, Serling and Splinter were on the other. I immediately jumped off the crate I sat on as the ships door opened up.

My brothers genetic clones stepped out, gasping.

"They knew we were comin'." Red growled. He snapped his head at Purple. "How did they know we were comin'?"

"I don't know! Just kill them!" Purple instantly turned toward me, a grin growing on his face. "I have unfinished business with you!"

I unsheathed a wakizashi. "Well come on then!"

Purple didn't hesitate to charge. The claws on his hand slashed the air in front of me, nothing I could do to stop them. I backed up as his claws got closer and closer, waiting for him to pause between a slash to stab my wakizashi into his arm.

He yelped, and jumped back. His lip curled. "Let's not do anything rash now."

I held a stance, holding my weapon in front of me. Drips of scarlet blood dropped off the blade.

"You deserve everything you get." I snarled in reply as I avoided his arm slamming down next to me.

Purple paused. I took his hesitation to jump, kicking his mouth to the side. The impact sent him stumbling backwards.

When he looked up. His jaw was crooked. The bottom half of his mouth was inches to the side, completely out of line. He lightly touched it with the tip of his finger, his eyes burned.

"You bitch." He snarled as he backhanded me in the stomach.

I landed hard onto my back, my wakizashi flying out my hand and landing inches from my reach. Purple raised his enormous fist in the air, but before he could bring a blow to my face; Raphael jumped in front of me. He held Purples fist with both of his, struggling against the force that Donnies clone pushed toward him. I didn't hesitate to remove a shuriken from my belt and get to my feet. I sidestepped around my brother and jumped, impaling Purples shoulder.

Purple shrieked and fell back. He held his shoulder in pain as a yell sounded from the other side of the garage. Blue and Leo had battled their way through the doors.

"They were all awake! What happened to the plan?!" Red screeched.

Blue pushed Leo away. "I don't know! I did my job! Let's get out of here! It's a bust!"

The clones scrambled away, heading for the open door of their ship.

"They're getting away!" Mikey yelled as the ship door closed and began taking off.

"Let them go! It's over." Leo sighed as the ship disappeared into the night.

Raph snorted. "Once a monster, always a monster. It's just like Master Splinters story about the scorpion and the frog."

I could feel half of that statement directed at me.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Raph, did I ever tell you that I hate that story?"

Cody walked up with Serling by his side. "Hey guys, now that the fighting is over; there's something I want to show you."


	22. Goodbye Family

**I didn't really notice how much I made Jade into a normal teenage girl. If you read the last chapter, after Raph and her argued in the garage, she totally over thought the argument. Like most girls overthink right? **

**Sorry if this is kind of a lame chapter… I've been so busy lately and hockey tryouts are stressing me out. **

**This chapter is based off of "The Day of Awakening."**

**Chapter 22: Goodbye Family**

* * *

"Cody..."

"After a whole year of testing and rebuilding, I finally remade it." Cody said proudly.

The time portal stood before us, made into the wall of the lab. It's large rectangular shape had a thick metal frame and plenty of wires appearing from out of outlets.

"We can go home?" I thought I could feel hot tears start to form at the corner of my eyes.

Cody tilted his head to the side, gazing at the time portal. "Well. It's ready. But it needs to charge up for a few hours, otherwise you'll all be stuck in time."

I breathed out, letting my shoulders rise and fall. The doorway home was standing right in front of me.

"I can't believe we can finally go home." I murmured out loud.

"I can't even remember what it sounds like to have the subway runnin' ova our heads at night anymore." Raph wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me close playfully.

"Well I can't wait to see my-" Mikey started until an alarm began blaring throughout the penthouse.

"Why would the roof alarms be going off?" Cody yelled over the sound of the sirens as he bursted out of the lab, heading for the elevator.

The sirens followed us all the way up, Cody deactivated them as we quickly approached the doorway leading out to the roof.

A large white ship met us. It hovered in the air for a moment before two sliding doors on the bottom opened up. Men in white uniforms with large blasters in their hands jumped out.

"Uh... Is anyone expecting company?" Cody asked, backing up a few steps.

"Hold steady guys." Leo's firm voice said.

I wasn't surprised when Bishop jumped from the ship. His men were hard to miss in the jumpsuit getup they always wore.

"Something wrong with the doorbell _Mister President?_" Raph sneered.

Bishop ignored my brothers tone. "Forgive the theatrics but sedulity is not an option. This is a matter of galactic security."

There was a short moment of silence before Cody featured to the door. "Come inside."

Bishops men followed as we took the stairs for the living room. He walked beside me.

"So what seems to be the problem?" I asked, turning the corner into the hallway.

"Something you may be interested in. Especially you Jade." He replied.

I didn't ask to elaborate as we grouped together in front of the holo screen TV. Two of Bishops men hooked up a small box to the screen.

"Mister Jones will you please leave the room. This is classified information."

Cody opened his mouth to object until Splinter held up a hand, gesturing or him to stay where he was. "The boy remains by our side."

Bishop frowned but didn't fight with him. "Fine." He held up a small remote. "This footage was taken by one of our satellites."

The moon base. Not the same one as when we had stopped a bomb that Torben Zigth had accidentally planted on a ship full of passengers. No. This moonbase had a letter in the corner of the screen.

_B._

"Moon base B?" Donnie asked.

Bishop nodded. "A hub of commercial science and galactic interests." The screen went fuzzy. "We lost contact three days ago. Hours after our scans went blank, we sent a small army of men to investigate but as soon as they entered the base, we lost contact with them as well."

Raph huffed. "And you're telling us all this because?..."

Bishop glanced at me. "Because of this."

The remote was clicked again. The screen changed from its original fuzzy snow to a picture of what looked like a large crack in the earth. An Abyss. Re screen started to slowly pan in closer, eventually showing a ship rested at the bottom of the abyss.

Leo gasped. "Sho'Okanabo."

I snapped my gaze to him. "What? How do you that's his?"

Raph nudged me. "Because you'd been knocked out."

"The day Turtle X was taken over. You had already been electrocuted and unconscious by the armor- but Darius didn't take that oversized piece of metal over by himself. We had to infiltrate Sh'Okanabos ship as well." Donnie explained.

_Excuse me? _

"And why exactly wasn't I informed about this?" I asked, leaning back against the couch with my arms cross. "Shouldn't I know these things?"

My brothers all shifted uncomfortably except for Raph who shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "We just blew up his part of his ship."

_"Just blew up part of his ship?" _I let out an exasperated breath. "Are you kidding me? And none of you bothered to-"

"We're getting off topic." Bishop cut in, his eyebrows raised in annoyance from behind his black shades. He looked back at me. "You know Sh'Okanabo's strengths, methods and hopefully his vulnerabilities. I need you by my side in this. I need you all by my side in this."

It may have not been a direct order, but it wasn't an option for us either.

Cody stepped forward as Bishop and his men began turning to leave. "Mister President? What about me? I've been dev-"

Bishop stopped him, raising a hand. "You're a smart boy Jones but this mission is no place for a child."

Cody fumed as I patted his shoulder sympathetically and started after Bishop.

As my brothers followed, Leo winked at Cody. "You heard him, this is no place for a child. Right Mikey?"

Mikey nodded vigorously "Right. It would be different if you had super cool armor tech to use. But since you don't... Later!"

Both blue and orange banded turtles were acting _extremely _sly. What are they up to? Even Cody let a sly smile cross his face as left the penthouse.

* * *

"... And Sh'Okanabo disappeared afterwards. We thought he was gone for good." Leo finished explaining the day Turtle X was overtaken _and _with a guilty glance towards me, how Sh'Okanabo played a role in the whole ordeal.

Bishop let out a short sigh. "Take it from someone who knows. Obsession always finds a way."

"What is on the moon that Sh'Okanabo would find useful in his conquest of Earth?" Splinter asked.

"Aside from the five hundred crewmen, many critical planetary systems operate from the base. Defensive weapons and the Earth atmospheric grid are the two main systems." Bishop replied as he opened a small crate. "We know Sh'Okanabo is vulnerable to light. These are experimental light grenades. They may be our only hope in taking him out. So choose your shot wisely."

He tossed the grenade he held in his hand at me. Catching it with one hand like a ball, it was heavier than I expected. The small pure white ball looked more like a snowball than any kind of dangerous weapon.

"Mister President." One of Bishops men jogged into the room, pointing a finger towards the overly large window of the ship that overlooked the moon base as we arrived. "There's a problem."

Bishop quickly frisked to the window, peering through the glass. "This is most concerning. The blast shield is closed."

We followed. The enormous base looked almost abandoned. There was no movement on the outside.

"What's the blast shield?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the ground.

Bishop pointed to a small part of the complex that had a large metal ceiling door. It was closed tightly. "The moon bases city uses the blast shield to protect it from solar storms that release dangerous radioactivity."

Donnie released a frustrated breath. "And the Kanabos are probably using it to keep the sunlight out. Meaning that the entire base is probably overrun."

"We're in for one hell of a fight." Leo muttered, turning from the window as the ship landed a few yards away from the main entrance of the base.

Pulling my handgun from its holder, I slid a new magazine in the chamber and slid one of my wakizashis from its sheath. Bishops men all surrounded the locked door, one trying his hardest to override the security panel on the wall but seemingly having trouble.

"Ametuer." I muttered impatiently, walking up behind him and shoving him out of the way slightly. I placed my hand over the screen, seeing the lines of codes in my eyes. This was _too _easy. A matter of seconds and I solved the puzzle. The screen turned green and the doors slid open, revealing nothing but complete darkness.

The man I had shoved looked completely bewildered and almost a little pissed off that I solved the security override. He pushed past me in a huff, earning a snicker from myself and my brothers.

"Ready yourselves men. There's no telling what awaits us in there." Bishop prompted his men. "Be ready for anything."

They held up their blasters, turning on a light from the end of the barrels. Inside the door, the darkness was broken by the strong beams of white. But there was nothing that met us from the long corridor.

"Anything? Or nothing at all?" Raph grumbled, gripping the handles of his sais beside me. "This place is completely deserted."

"Uh hello?" Mikey exclaimed nervously. "Ever watch a horror movie? It always starts in a creepy, abandoned building and then some jarhead steps in..." He paused as one of the men steeped in a puddle of purple goop. "... Slime."

Leo pulled the man back by his shoulder. "The Kanabo infection spreads through the junk. Don't let it touch your skin."

The man threw him a nervous glance before sidestepping around the puddle.

Donie tapped my shoulder, pointing at the small panel on the wall. I nodded, immediately decoding it and turning on a section of lights for the hallway.

"No sunlight can get through anywhere to reverse the infection for us or for any of the five hundred crewmen who have already been infected." He murmured, staring at the flickering lights.

Mikey groaned. "Can't we have a little positive? God you guys are such downers! Maybe the crewmen were able to hide? Or maybe they fought back?"

There were low growls down the several still dark hallways around us and slowly, the familiar purple figures started to step into the light. Holding my handgun up, Leo and I stood shoulder to shoulder, facing one of the dark hallways. I flicked a switch on the gun. Stun.

"Or maybe I'll shut up now." Mikey finished with a gulp.

"Here we go." Leo murmured.

"Remember that they're still people under all that junk." Donnie reminded, gesturing to the men. "We can't risking hurting them."

Kanabos came from all directions in what seemed like never ending waves of monsters. They growled and snapped their jaws like a bunch of wild animals before lurching forward.

They weren't fast. They weren't skilled. But trying to avoid the gunk they spewed from their mouths was the most difficult part. Bishops men had it the easiest with their full body suits but they weren't skilled much in combat either. Each man was taken out one by one. _Some soldiers you got there Bishop._

Leonardo and I stayed back to back, partnering up against the legions. Frustration started to vibrate off of him as the fight went on. There was so many and we were hardly making a dent in their army.

"This is useless." I said, kicking a Kanabo into the wall.

"We could be fighting all day and wouldn't get any closer to Sh'Okanabo." Leo agreed. "We need to rethink our strategy."

"And what do you suppose we do huh?" Raph spat. "We can't just surrender to'em. They can't think Leo!"

Leo didn't answer him. He stopped fighting and held his hands up. "We surrender!"

The Kanabos all instantly stopped, staring at the blue banded turtle like they were trying to register what he was saying.

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me Leo?" Raph muttered, glaring at the eldest.

One finally stepped forward and held out his hand, seeming to gesture to his weapons. Soon, all the Kanabos were collecting our weapons, binding our hands together in cuffs and started leading us down a long hallway. I was surprised that they even knew what we meant by surrender. Perhaps they still have some intelligence locked in their thick skulls.

"Some plan." Raph huffed, pulling on his restraints.

I glanced at Mikey, who was eyeing his cuffs nervously. I nudged him as we walked, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure we're being led right to Sh'Okanabo." Leo replied, ignoring Raph's tone.

"But with these cuffs on, we could get infected. We'll have to act fast." Donnie said.

"This is the heart of the city." Bishop muttered as we entered an enormous room. Which seem like the size of a football field. It was completely filled with snarling Kanabos.

"An ugly convention. Where's your membership Raph?" Mikey joked. Raph flare at him, snorting.

"How many do you think they're are?" Leo asked, eyeing Donnie.

Donnie opened his mouth to answer but his voice was drowned out by someone else. Sh'Okanabo. He appeared out of nowhere. His familiar long tentacles were writhing behind him like worms.

"The entire moon bases population. They've transformed as countless millions have before them through your countless planets and galaxies. Count yourselves as privileged to be standing at the right hand of Sh'Okanabo when the Day of Awakening dawns at last!" He grinned evilly, seeming to be pleased with himself.

Raph huffed. He had that look on his face that he was going to say something with that smartass smirk on his face. "Nice pep talk Sh'Oka-nutjob. They come in turtle size?"

Sh'Okanabo grasped Raph with one of his tentacles and picked him up off the ground. I tried to push forward but a Kanabo grabbed my arm and held me back.

"Pathetic creature." Sh'Okanabo spat. "Surely you feel the power I wield. As my army grows, so does my strength."

_Not to mention your ego. _

Raph was thrown across the room. I clenched my jaw, glowering at the purple alien.

"We'll stop you." Bishop stepped forward. "The galactic alliance will never allow you to-"

The President was the next one to be swiped across the room. He hit the wall next to Raph was had just gotten to his feet.

"President Bishop. If I would have thought you were a threat. You would have been elongated long ago." Sh'Okanabo spat. He quickly snapped his neck toward us again and rested his eyes on me. "And it is _so _wonderful to see you again Jade."

My nostril raised slightly in disgust. "Flattered."

"You'll need an attitude adjustment but that can be easily corrected." He placed a tentacle around my arm and pulled me forward. "I still require something from you-"

"No." I interrupted. "There is no way in hell I would ever help you so _forget it._"

I tried to step back in line with my brothers until Sh'Okanabos tentacle pushed me down onto my back roughly. Instead of threatening me, he picked up a rather large blaster that was patiently waiting on one of the control tables. He aimed it at Donnie.

"Are you sure about that? I have no problem eliminating one of these reptiles."

I shared a glance with my brother. Sh'Okanabo was glaring at me, too busy to notice the slight smirk that crossed Donnies face when he gestured to the gun.

_Oh this is just too good..._

Still lying on the ground, I quickly closed my fist together. The gun indented itself immeditely. Crushing itself like a pop can. Sh'Okanabo turned his attention to the now mutilated gun with a horrified expression.

"Oops. Better save the technology for smarter species pal." I said slyly.

Sh'Okanabos purple face looked like it turned a dark maroon. Anger bubbles in his eyes as he bared his long teeth and swung the gun across my skull. I rolled across the floor, seeing black specks dance across the back of my mind. Okay, Ill blame Raph for rubbing his smartass remarks on me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw my brothers shift worriedly. Sh'Okanabos tentacle hauled me to my feet.

"How can a mere _human girl _do such things?" He spat in my face.

I didn't answer him. I let out a deep breath while between my clenched jaw, eyes narrowed deeply. I could sense the aliens patience wearing thin as he swung the gun across my head again, this time sending me stumbling into Mikey's plastron. He steadied me by grabbing my arm with his hands as best he could with his cuffs on.

"Leave her alone!" Raph demanded, pushing forward slightly with a snarl on his face as Leo and Donnie tried keeping him back.

"Fool." Sh'Okanabo ignored my brother and kept a cold stare on me. "If you don't kneel to me now, then you will die."

"I would rather die standing on my feet than to kneel at the feet of an insect like you." I could feel my vile hate freezing my veins.

"So be it. I don't need you. Everything I need is sitting on this cold hard rock. Even the solution to the solar dilemma can be resolved with the atmospheric defense grid. I will increase the opacity of the grid to one hundred percent." He grinned, pleased with himself.

"No sunlight would get through at all. The entire planet would be in darkness." Bishop muttered, almost in a voice of defeat.

I didn't know what the 'atmospheric defense grid' was, but after what Bishop said, it must somehow control the amount of sunlight that enters the planet and maybe even help with solar storms like the base shield does for this facility. No sunlight on the planet would fulfill Sh'Okanabos greatest wishes on world infection.

The alien nodded eagerly. "The Day of Awakening will consume the Earth. And you will get to watch the glory of my ass Enron as one of my own." He glanced back at me. "But first... As promised. You will die."

Mikey pulled me back. "No."

Sh'Okanabo laughed and raised a tentacle above his head, ready to slam on top of us until it blasted off. Chunks of purple flesh scattered across the floor along with a deep lavender colored blood squirting onto the floor.

"I don't think so."

I spun my head to see Cody. In Turtle X? No. _Serling. _The robots body looked like it had been built into the same body as Turtle X. _So that's why Leo and Mikey were acting funny when we left the penthouse._ Was I really the only who didn't get told when things happen? Like what the hell, that was actually starting to piss me off.

"Cody!" Donnie cheered.

Cody landed with Serling in front of us. "Party's over!" He swung the cannon that was built into Serlings hand across Sh'Okanabos face.

_Hurts doesn't it?_

The alien stumbled back, sending an uproar across the room from all the Kanabos. Cody turned around and grinned.

"Once again, not following orders." Splinter murmured with a slight smile.

Cody shrugged. "I wouldn't miss the last mission for anything."

_"Although I would have liked to." _Serlings voice sounded exactly as it always does. Mono and annoyed.

"We need a key." I held up my wrists that were still in cuffs.

Sh'Okanabo stumbled back up, baring his teeth. "Destroy them!"

The Kanabos around us all lurched forward, spitting ands lashing their claws in the air.

"You don't need a key!" Cody exclaimed as Serling swung at the Kanabos around us. "I developed a software that can unlock those cuffs without the key! I just need to press a couple buttons and then set the-"

"Just unlock them Cody!" I yelled.

"Sh'Okanabos strength is related to the Kanabos..." Leo grunted as he avoided the swinging claws of the aliens. "We need to convert them back to normal if we're going to stand a chance!"

Our cuffs disappeared off our wrists like an illusion.

"The blast shield Bishop!" Donnie pointed to one of the control tables. "If we can open the shield we can convert them back to normal in one shot!"

Bishop nodded. "Excellent."

"Jade, Donnie you get the blast shield." Leo ordered, throwing us our weapons that been stashed on top of one of the tables. "The rest of us will cover you."

Donnie grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the other side of the room, hitting a Kanabo along the way. Raph and Splinter were behind us. As soon as we approached the command table, I slammed my hand on top of the screen and let the codes display themselves. Except... These codes made no sense.

"Donnie... These are too advanced for me." I scrolled through all the algorithms.

"How bad?" He started at me with his mouth in open in a worried way as he began clicking buttons on the table.

"Bad."

"I could see if I could get them up on the screen but I don't know how long that would take me."

Without really thinking about it, I grabbed his hand. Maybe I could somehow transfer what I see into his mind? Hopefully.

I connected with my brothers mind and transferred all codes and numbers to his. _Kinda weird but if it works I guess..._

"Woah." His face lit up slightly. "This is so cool! Is this what you see when-"

"Focus Don."

"Right. We don't have time to disable all the encryption codes. Create a Trojan horse and play as the dummy."

I nodded, letting go of his hand. "Okay."

I turned my attention back to the neon lines of red in the back of my mind. Swiping them away, I created a new set of algorithms that could act as a the Trojan horse.

"What's the story over there?" Raph's yell interrupted my concentration. I could feel Donnie behind me, swinging his bo at the incoming Kanabos.

"Working on it!" Donnie replied for me.

As I worked, I could hear Sh'Okanabos laughs as he fought. The spewing of what I was guessing was the purple infection junk. The urge to turn my head was unbearable.

"Don! What do I do now?" I cried as I put the last few numbers in sequence.

"Throw it into the encryption codes!" Donnie muffled voice replied.

I watched as the codes dissolved. The Trojan horse worked. Now, I felt extremely stupid. _I could have figured that out. _

The ceiling opened up, releasing bright beams of sunlight into the entire room. All the shapes and sizes of Kanabos began to shrivel as the purple skin disappeared.

"No!" Sh'Okanabo retreated to the corner of the room, hiding underneath a small cement catwalk that blocked a portion of sunlight.

"It's over Sh'Okanabo." Leo said.

"It's never over." His glowering eyes twinkled with defeat. He knew it was over but his pride would never let him admit it.

Mikey held up one of the light grenades. He grinned. "Catch."

Sh'Okanabo grasped the grenade in his tentacle, staring at it for a moment. "This cannot stop me. I'm-"

His voice cut off by the sound of light. Literally. The grenade let off a blinding beam of light that engulfed Sh'Okanabo. He screamed as his body slowly melted into a puddle. It was almost like watching the Wicked Witch of the West melt in the Wizard of Oz.

I bumped a fist with the orange banded turtle. "Home run."

Bishop turned to Cody. "Mister Jones, if you ever disobey orders again... I'll give you a medal." He smirked.

Cody shrugged, blushing slightly.

_"I can assure you that he won't." _I laughed at Serlings voice.

I felt a big wave of relief wash over me. Sh'Okanabo was dead. And now... It was time to go home.

* * *

Donnie dropped his futuristic bo staff on the floor. "We're not bringing anything back. Including our weapons. We can't pollute the time stream."

I sighed, unbuckling my belt and dropping it on the floor. I still wasn't a fan of the future, but the weapons I had used for the past year had grown on me.

"Yes you've done quite a bit of that already." Serlings sarcastic reply came.

I chuckled. "We'll miss you too Serling."

Serling shifted. "I must admit that I might... Miss the excitement that you all have brought to our life."

I smiled.

Cody put his hand behind his back free turning the portal on. The purple waves of electricity created a window with a picture of our old living room.

"I guess this is goodbye then." He muttered with his shoulders slumped.

Splinter have him a lighthearted smile. "Cody- thank you for your hospitality, for this may be goodbye, we have forged a bond that will stand as a test of friendship. Past, present and future. Remember your teachings little one."

"Take care you guys. I won't forget you." Cody tried his best to smile but with his shoulders slumped, he failed miserably.

I stored forward and pulled him into a tight embrace. "And we won't forget you."

Cody melted into the hug. He sniffed and released me moments later with a small smile, one I had been hoping he could manage.

"We'll miss ya kid."

"So long."

"Remember the ninja code."

Leo grabbed my shoulder and gave it a squeeze before jumping through the portal. I glanced back at Cody and Serling, giving them a wave before following my family.

A flash of black and then there was a dim light. A wave of musty old furniture and the sound of the subway hit me as my eyes opened up.

Home."


End file.
